


More Than Meets the Eye

by breatheaims



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-23 04:49:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2534759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breatheaims/pseuds/breatheaims
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you're best friends with your best friend for what seems to be forever...boundaries are meant to be broken, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, this is just one of several ideas I've had stored lately. Continue? Yes? Good? No?
> 
> Now excuse me while I cry about homework.

An intense banging thudded the door, and before the injured girl could move, the knob had been turned and opened already. "Hey cripple. I just came to see how you were doing!" Tobin smiled her biggest smile as she peaked her her into Alex Morgan's door. 

The striker winced and said nothing; she bit her lip to try to keep tears from falling too, actually. It felt pathetic.

"Too soon?"

"Too soon." She managed.

Tobin Heath eyed the injured girl sadly. It was extremely unfortunate for her to be injured for such a stupid reason. Morgan missed the entire rest of the tournament because of a somewhat reckless and unnecessary collision and tackle from a Haitian defender and couldn't be there when the USA triumphantly lifted their CONCACAF champion trophy for what felt like the hundredth time. It was a really weird for Tobin. She remembers smiling at Kelley and both of them sharing the same pit of emptiness and same train of thought: _Boy, I wish Alex was here with us._ They had a deep attachment and want for their other best friend. 

The striker now was propped somewhat awkwardly on her sofa. It looked like she hadn't moved in a while. She looked pretty exhausted; the jet lag was starting to catch up with her. As much as Alex hated to admit it, coffee couldn't solve everything. She was bummed about the same nagging injury on top of it all. Her ankle didn't really bother her much, probably because she was used to the pain it had to endure at this point. It was typical. She knew how much weight she could put on it without hurting it, and how much not to put; she figured out what angle to rest it on and how to sleep comfortably. This ankle injury was old news. Alex Morgan never liked old news.

Her left leg was in a huge recovery boot and elevated to a higher angle. A bunch of ice bags were on top of it as well. If there was one person who could nail the rice method for recovery, it was Alex Morgan. 

Tobin Heath sauntered in cooly, her swagger speaking volumes the way it always did. The midfielder sat down next to her best friend, gave her a quick hug, and then proceeded to pull a couple of superfluous things out of her backpack. 

"I'm sorry for that, that was uncalled for. Hello though pretty, pretty girl! I stopped by a couple places, pulled some strings, and brought you a few little goodies. You're spoiled, y'know." Tobin smiled genuinely as she leaned over to hand out a care package of all of poor injured girl's favorite guilty pleasure cheat day snacks, two new sweatshirts, and the USWNT shirt saying that they had successfully qualified for the 2015 World Cup in Canada to her best friend.  It was her own shirt she wore from after the championship game. 

Alex blushed and tried to calmly recollect herself. She got a whiff of the shirt and knew it was Tobin's immediately. It wasn't hard to tell. Tobin had stuck to the same perfume for years on end. If it ain't broke, why fix it right? Tobin Heath's mentality exactly. Her heart fluttered uncontrollably. "You definitely didn't have to do all of this, Tobs." 

Tobin Heath shook her head vigorously. "Nonsense. Actually, I feel like I definitely should've done way, way more." She opened a bag of brownie brittle for the blonde girl. 

"Oh yeah?" Alex challenged curiously, her eyes perking up. "Like what else?" 

"Like....oh I don't know, maybe I should've back flipped after I scored and pulled a paper out of my shin guard like Pinoe did for Kriegs! Would that have helped?! That totally would have been rad, admit it. You would have loved it."

Alex rolled her eyes somewhat playfully and smiled softly. "That...honestly wouldn't have really helped my ankle heal any faster than it's going to, but I sure would have liked to see it." She licked her lips. 

Tobin met her eyes disappointingly and sadly. "I'm really sorry Alley cat. This was the last thing you needed."

Alley cat. Tobin Heath was the only person to call her that besides her parents when she was...six. Alex giggled. "It's fine. I just told you it's all good. Ankle injuries are old news. I'll heal. I was told that time heals everything remember?"

That was the piece of advice Alex Morgan swore to follow ever since it came out of her best friend's mouth. She remembered the first time she heard it. 

The forward had been crying and torn for months because of her break up with Servando. Apparently he thought the two of them saw the world differently, but Alex couldn't disagree more.  And on top of that, he was very jealous of the attention the blue eyed girl was giving Tobin. He promised that she touched the midfielder more than she touched him. 

The Berkeley grad never thought much of it. She loved Servando, so she thought, and she figured the feeling was mutual. Honestly though, Alex Morgan didn't have a clue what love was. She just assumed that he was the closest thing to it because her entire family kept pestering them to date. 

Come to think of it, she sucked at all her past relationships. She just never could figure out why. All the guys would lust for her, trying to get intimate, and Alex always managed to say no. She figured it was because she had high standards and didn't want to put out so soon, but maybe it was more than that after all.

When Servando dumped her, Alex didn't speak for 48 hours. She sat silently in her room and listened to John Mayer's "dreaming with a broken heart" on replay for hours on end. 

After she let the numbness sink in, the USWNT star cried and cried and cried. Tobin was the only one she ever opened up to. The only one she wanted to open up to. It was only then that she offered such a glorious little bit of words of wisdom. The young girl had wrapped her arms around the #13 star, kissed the side of her head for the first time, and mumbled. "Don't worry Al, time heals all wounds."

That was the first time Alex Morgan actually felt tingly inside. 

She regained her composure and rid herself of the flashback as her best friend smiled and spoke. 

"Huh, what wise person told you that? They must be something special."

"I guess you could say that." 

The two girls looking longingly at each other for a while, but Tobin Heath broke the gaze. She leaned in slowly, and Alex braced herself. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

...She felt Tobin's hand come up to her face, but it was only there for a moment.

"You had an eye booger." The pious girl laughed.

Alex chuckled along with her, but she didn't think anything was funny anymore. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex admits her feelings aloud to someone for the first time. 
> 
> Love triangles are not fun, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just continuing some of the old fics. It's kind of weird picking it up like this, but I hope you all enjoy nonetheless.
> 
> LAUREN CHENEY IS RETIRING AND I WANT TO CRY.

It had been months, and with time comes recovery…sort of.

Alex could definitely run again to say the least; her fitness was peaking naturally because her ankles were stable enough now, but her sharpness wasn’t exactly there. It showed in practice, and in the entire World Cup tournament, but hey, the team had won and FINALLY became champions after a long drought of sixteen years.

A party ensued shortly after getting the trophy and medals, Alex and Tobin quickly popping champagne and getting down with everyone else.

Drunk Tobin was Alex’s least favorite version of her best friend. It was horrible. She forgot all her childhood lessons on personal space, and that didn’t help the situation.

Though the striker had gotten over her pesky, nagging setbacks, she never got over her crush on Tobin Heath…which, Alex was positive now, was way more than just a crush.

As Alex Morgan watched the midfielder jump up and down and slur her words, she closed her eyes and tried to pinpoint the exact moment in which she stupidly fell head over heels for her teammate.

Maybe it started when they first met? The former blond remembered it like it was yesterday. They were next door neighbors and childhood best friends for crying out loud. She recalls of swinging at the Heath’s house and falling and losing her first tooth there. Tobin said the tooth fairy would take it. That was the first time Alex learned to believe in miracles.

 Or maybe it was during the good old college days where they put all their stupid high school drama (of mostly both of them dating a row of thirsty boys who could not do anything for them), Tobin being the Tar Heel who fearlessly took on Alex and her squad from Berkeley.

She can’t recall much of those glory days, but she does remember the way Tobin dribbled as if no one in the world could stop her—and most of the time, she was right about that. How good it was to see her, how bitter it was to play against her.

Hmm…or maybe it was their first national training camp together. Being roommates and officially being able to catch up about everything was comforting. They cuddled a bit after the first two days of practice, and it honestly became a persistent thing.

It was, Alex thought while sighing, one of the many moments that felt as though they were dating.

But they weren’t.

Her train of thought was abruptly ruined by the splash of champagne to her face by Tobin.

“Al, you’re missssssssssing out on all the FUNFUNFUN.”

Alex groaned. “I love you, but you have either got to stop drinking and go back to the hotel to lay down or I’m gonna go. I’m tired of partying honestly. I’m happy and excited that we are champs, but I’m tired Tobs.”

It was the honest to goodness truth. Lifting the World Cup trophy was the best feeling ever, having a medal to go with it was just as stellar. The partying was truly dandy too, but at this point, it was 3 a.m. and Alex Morgan was a tired girl. Worse than that, her feelings were starting to overwhelm her. Again.

“I’mmm not even druuuuuuunk that. Hey Ashlyn you look tonight GOOOOOD.” Heath went over to dance with Ali and Ashlyn…or rather, to cockblock.

The brunette rolled her eyes and mouthed to the couple. “Please take care of her for me.”

Ashlyn nodded and grinned, giving her a thumbs up. “Just go get some rest baby horse.”

Alex obliged, trudging her way to her hotel room for this one last night in Canada. As she made it to the elevator that miraculously opened right as she got there, she found Christen Press in it, waiting to get off.

“Hey Pressy! Where’d you go? Everyone was looking for you!! Especially me. I looked up and you were nowhere to be found. You heading back to the party?”

“Loaded questions Al.” Press gave her a giant, pearly white smile. “I just went to check on Kelley. She only drank a little bit and then felt sort of out of it. She’s still pretty out of it.” The forward bit her lip. _She’s crushing on you, Alex._ Christen thought to herself. _Seeing you look at Tobin the way you do isn’t easy for her._

“Oh, that’s not good. Do you think maybe she’d want to talk to me? I actually need some advice…and she’s probably the best person for me to ask.”

“I’m not sure. You can try if you want to. Her door is probably still unlocked. You know how she is. Take care of yourself tonight.” Christen hugged her before leaving. “Let me know if you need anything. I’m here for you as well Al.” She turned back and finished her thought.

“Thanks Press!!” Alex yelled after her before stepping in the elevator and finally going up. She quickly stumbled her way into the hallway where she knew Kelley was and opened the door. Christen was her roommate, so the young forward knew she and her teammate would have some quality alone time that was much needed right now.

The superstar opened the door gingerly. “Hi Kel.”

Kelley had taken a couple drinks of celebration and partied just like everyone else, but she honestly just wanted some quiet in her head now. It was really weird and unorthodox of the freckled face.

“Alex! What’re you doing here when you should be partying?” Kelley found herself nearly forcing a smile.

“I could ask you the same thing KO. But I have a feeling you don’t really want to discuss it? Or you and Press have talked about it already.” The taller girl offered. “I do…however…want to talk to you about something.”

Kelley O’Hara winced a bit to herself. _Well how am I ever supposed to talk to you when you’re always obsessing over Tobin?_ “Yeah? Shoot. I’m all ears. I’ve now got the ears of a World Cup champion.”

Both girls chuckled, and Alex continued her partial monologue.

“Well…I think I need to tell you something important. I can’t believe I’ve been so blind.”

The versatile super sub held her breath. “Yeah? What is it?”

“I uh…I think I have feelings for Tobin.” Alex exhaled in relief, and she could have sworn she heard Kelley exhale too, in a different manner though.

The former Stanford forward bit her lip and tried to find words. She tried her hardest to make sure the jealousy wouldn’t overwhelm her. “That’s…great Al. What’s the problem?”

Kelley’s response was a bit strange to Alex, but she brushed it off easily. “I just don’t know how to tell her.”

 _Same,_ Kelley thought at that phrase.

“You just own up to it. What’s the worst that could happen? I’ve seen the way she looks at you sometimes Alex. I’m pretty sure she’s into you.” _Maybe I should take my own advice._ “Unless…you’re having doubts? You said you think.”

“I just don’t want to ruin what we have now. I mean, I love being her best friend and all…however, I find myself daydreaming about her lips and it’s stupid and sappy and ugh. I meant to say I know…I know I like her. I’ve had a thing for her since forever. I don’t know how to pursue it though. Usually the other person initiates it…”

Kelley O’Hara almost burst out in laughter. “You’re a goalscoring machine, the first to the food lines whenever we eat as a team, you’re always doing things on your own, you live by yourself when we aren’t on duty, you’re so freaking beautiful and perfect in every way and you’re telling me you need someone else to come onto you first? Do you know exactly who you are?”

That earned a chuckle. “I guess you’re right. Okay. Well, she’s drunk right now so it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Or maybe next week. Umm…I don’t know. Maybe I just won’t tell her at a—”

Her rambling was quickly interrupted by Kelley’s finger to her lips. “Shh. We can worry about that tomorrow. You’ll tell her tomorrow after she recovers from her hangover. Okay? Now you can go to bed and stop worrying. I have never seen you so flustered, not even during a World Cup game.”

“Yeah, well,” Alex blushed “this is kind of a big deal.”

“Good night Alex.” Kelley playfully rolled her eyes.

“Actually, um…can I stay with you tonight? I don’t want to go back to the party, and I don’t really think I’ll be able to sleep by myself. I’ll probably end up overthinking and freaking out all over again. Maybe we can watch a movie?”

“Mmm, that’s fine. If you fall asleep on me and you drool, I’m drawing on you. Just so you know.”

Even though everything hurt for Kelley all of a sudden, knowing that Alex was undoubtedly into Tobin and not her, she kind of basically ignored and tried to get over it for the moment. Alex was with her right now, and that had to be enough even though she was sure it wasn’t.

O’Hara pulled the striker into the arms and they cuddled while binging the new season of Orange is the New Black, Alex falling asleep before the third episode, instinctively wrapping herself tighter around her teammate and stubbornly refusing to let go.

 _Ugh, Alex._ Kelley thought to herself.

At approximately 7 in the morning, Press came back to their room. Kelley was still awake, intoxicated with the aura of the brunette. Christen half smiled and half felt bad. “Did things go okay?” She whispered.

“No.” Kelley mouthed, realizing that her voice was cracking and she couldn’t speak at all without crying.

“Not at all.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex tries to tell Tobin her feelings...the love triangle progresses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna take you on an emotional rollercoaster with twists and turns. ;)
> 
> This is what I do with my life as opposed to college assessments. Oh well. I'm excited, tomorrow I'm going out to eat to good ol' Babe's Chicken. HECK YEAH.

Tobin Heath woke up at around noon the next day, hung over to say the least. Everything hurt, especially her head. Everything from yesterday seemed to be fuzzy; she couldn’t remember anything past lifting the trophy and kissing it and taking billions of pictures with it.

Ugh, she groaned as she finally opened her eyes to take in the sunlight peeping its way into her hotel room. The midfielder scanned the room and realized that her roommate and best friend Alex Morgan was nowhere to be found. _That’s weird,_ she thought to herself. _I wonder where she is._

Quite naturally, Tobin got up and changed, fixed her face as much as she could so it wouldn’t be bluntly obvious that she was still totally hammered (understandably) from last night. She had most of her stuff packed already (thank God) prior to last night because she knew she wouldn’t have time to do it today—she was absolutely 100% correct with that.

Instinctively, the Tar Heel texted Kelley first. The trio was super tight, so she could always depend on the former Stanford star to know where Alex was.

Tobs: Hey KO, is Alex with you?

* * *

Kelley had fallen asleep finally at around 10 in the morning, and woke up to the sound of her phone notification. She opened her eyes and saw Christen, who had evidently just finished her daily meditating.

“Hey sleepyhead.” The striker grinned. Though she had been drinking last night just like everyone else, it didn’t seem that way. Christen Press always cleaned up nicely.

“Wow I am freaking tired.” Kelley chuckled briefly before the hurt settled in. Alex was gone.

Christen read that on her face immediately and decided to reassure her, like the good friend she was. “Yeah, baby horse got up at around 11 to grab brunch with the rest of the team. I didn’t want to wake you because you literally had just fallen asleep around that time. You okay?”

Kelley stirred a bit before sitting upright and Christen took a seat next to her. “She told me she likes Tobin.”

They both looked at each other for a bit. Press bit her lip worriedly. It didn’t come as much of a surprise to her, and she knew Kelley knew that too. The forward wrapped her arms around her teammate.

 “They might not get together. They might not work out. And anyways, why did she stay with you then? The way she held you wasn’t exactly just friendly Kel! She has to be into you a little bit. Maybe she’s confused.”

“Yeah right. I just wish she would realize that I’m crazy about her. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stomach the thought of them together. It sucks because they’re my best friends.”

“You have me too, silly. You always do and you always will. Besides, we’re about to go on national team break for a while. You’ve got days off and then you’ll be back with Sky Blue. It won’t be so bad.”

The freckle face stretched a bit. “I hope that’s the case. Thanks though, Pressy. I love you.”

“I love you too, Kel.”

They hugged briefly and Press let her go so she could check her phone finally. Kelley did so and saw Tobin’s text and answered briefly.

KO: Nah, sorry Tobs. She’s probably hanging with Syd or something.

Tobs: Okay thanks.

* * *

Alex Morgan was admiring the view of the balcony Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris had in their room. The defender was with her, but the goalkeeper had gone out with Hope and Alyssa. Neither of them seemed to mind though. Ali had been wrapped around Ashlyn’s finger the entire night, or rather, the other way around, and Alex actually wanted to talk to Ali.

“Hey Ali? Was it weird when you realized you starting liking Ashlyn?”

The question was so out of the blue, the right back chuckled. “Not really. It was almost love at first sight. Or maybe lust.” Ali joked. “I knew I liked Ashlyn immediately. There was no fighting it—and trust me, I tried. I eventually realized that she was it. She was ‘the one’, and I am 100% okay with that. Where is this coming from? Are we not lecherous enough?”

It was Alex’s turn to share the laughter. “It’s not that. You guys are freaking cute. I just…um, I might have feelings for someone, but I don’t want to complicate things.”

“Kelley?” Ali asked, if it wasn’t the most obvious thing to the forward.

Alex Morgan’s gorgeous blue eyes widened. “N-No…” _Why did she say Kelley? She’s probably just trying to be nice. Of course Kriegy wouldn’t know. That’s why I’m talking to her about it now._ “Tobin.”

Ali backtracked immediately, sorry that she had made such a fast assumption. The defender thought it was rational…she had seen the way Kelley looked longingly at Alex, the way they were always cuddling and laughing. No matter. She brushed it off quickly and continued on the conversation with the young, confused girl.

 “Ooh. Haven’t you two been best friends since forever? Al, I’m pretty sure you two are soulmates. You do finish each other’s sentences and food for that matter. You should talk to her. Probably before we board the plane. That way, if things go well, you can have a few hours on the plane together in semi-private; moments like that are nice, I promise. And if it goes awry, you can just sit with someone else and use the silence to contemplate.” Ali had a huge grin on her face still.

“…and if things go REALLY well, you can join the mile high club like me and Ash-” that got a playful sock to the shoulder.

“That’s…gross. TMI Ali Krieger. TMI. I never knew you were one to brag about those things! It’s usually ALL Ashlyn.” Alex giggled.

“Hey well, when it’s THAT good, y’know…”

“Ugh okay stop. I’m gonna go talk to Tobin. Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need it, baby horse.” The defender showed her pearly white teeth one more time.

As Alex Morgan was getting ready to go, she turned around. Curiosity got the best of her. She had to know whether or not what Ali initially said was a fluke. “Kriegy? How come you thought I was going to say I had feelings for Kelley?”

Ali thought quickly. She could either a: be honest or b: give a subtle lie. If Alex was too oblivious to realize that her and Kelley had natural chemistry and closeness, then that was on her to realize. She didn’t want to tell her the entire team thought they should be a couple either. So, quite naturally as a result, Ali lied.

“No reason. I just took a guess. It was either going to be Tobin or Kelley, and I happened to pick Kelley. Had you not told me, I was gonna guess Tobin second and pry the truth out of you anyways. Now go on!”

That was a decent enough answer for the both of them.

* * *

Alex caught the elevator as it was about to go down, and miraculously enough, Tobin was in it. They glanced at each other, and it was kind of uncomfortable.

A million thoughts were running through the striker’s head. _Why did Krieger say Kelley? Does Kelley have feelings for me? No way. That would be…weird. Wouldn’t it? It wasn’t just a lucky guess. I can feel that. I know that. And how do I tell Tobin I like her…ugh. What am I supposed to do if she rejects me? We’re not going to be as close…and I just…I don’t know if I can handle that…what if—_ They were abruptly distracted by Tobin Heath’s voice.

“Hello beautiful! I’ve been looking for you! You weren’t in our room when I woke up. It was quite an unpleasant surprise.” She hugged her. “How about we go back there now and I can help you pack?” The midfielder always knew that her best friend was a huge procrastinator, especially with packing.

“Sure. I have to talk to you about something anyways” Alex tried, struggling to formulate words. They kept catching in her throat, her hands were suddenly getting clammy now too.

“Sure.” Tobin repeated.

The elevator dinged after a brief wait, and both of them linked arms and walked into their room.

Alex hesitated as she heard the door lock behind her. She didn’t know what to do or how to start her soliloquy. “I should—I’ll get my stuff and we can—”

“Talk to me first.”

“Tobin I, I don’t know how to tell you this.” The brunette rasped, stammering and struggling to keep her voice steady.

“Just try. Is it bad? Are you breaking up with me?” Heath teased, her perpetual chillness seeping through at the wrong time. That was probably one of the only things that bugged Alex about Tobin. She never knew when to be serious. That’s what made this so hard.

“No. I um…I…”

“Just say it, Alley cat. I could never judge you for whatever it is. And if it’s good news, and you’re saying you got me a new long board or a new snapback, I’ll love you ‘til the end of time.”

Alex couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t do it.

“I…I hate when you’re drunk.”

The news wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, and it was undoubtedly not what she wanted to say, but it worked as a lie for the time being because it wasn’t really a lie. She did hate the way Tobin got all mushy and touchy and everything when she had one too many. It hurt. Looking at her hurt.

An eyebrow shot up from the Tar Heel. “This is…new to me. Alex, you know I hardly EVER get drunk right? It was one time in like, six million years because you know I’m not like that. We won the World Cup for crying out loud. How else are we supposed to celebrate?”

Tobin thought about it for a moment.

“Did I say something bad to you last night without knowing? Obviously I don’t remember anything…” She tried a smile but it got nothing in return.

“It isn’t what you say, Tobin. It’s what you do.” Tears were trying to fight their way out of Alex’s eyes, and the poor girl was trying so desperately to keep them in, keep them from overflowing. If only one tear escaped, she knew she was going to bawl.

“What do you mean? Did I hit you? Please tell me I didn’t hit you. That would be crazy. That’s what 45 year old alcoholic men do.”

“No. Just, just forget about it.” The iconic #13 half angrily, half sadly stormed out of the room.

“Alex wait—” Tobin tried, unsure of the entire situation all together. _What just happened? Hmm, maybe I should talk to Ashlyn. She’ll be able to tell me what I’m like when I’m drunk. How bad could it have been? Why is Alex being so weird? I’ll just let her cool down maybe._

The Californian didn’t know where to go. She was undoubtedly crying now, her lungs fighting to keep a sufficient amount of air pumping into her body. She cried so hard her head hurt, and apparently, someone heard.

A hand came onto her shoulder, and Alex prayed it wasn’t Tobin.

It wasn’t, thank God.

It was Christen.

“Al, what happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Press pulled her into a hug and actually carried her back to her and Kelley’s room. She let her cry on her shoulder for a bit.

“You can stay here. We don’t board the plane until later, so you’ve got time to clear your mind. If you want to talk, I’ll be here. If not, I’ll still be here. I’ll keep you company. Don’t worry, Kelley’s out. I’m not sure where she went actually now that I think about it. But I hope you’re okay, Morgs.” Christen’s soft spoken nature, as well as her voice, was enough to soothe Alex for the time being. She proceeded to cry for the next half an hour, and then ended up falling asleep again.

* * *

After being teary-eyed and calamitous, Alex was reeling, stirring, almost waking up for good. She kept her eyes closed and she was subconsciously overhearing a conversation.

“She didn’t tell you what was wrong with her?”

“No…I just held her as she cried and rubbed her back a bit. You should talk to her when she wakes up.”

“I’m terrible. I should have been here earlier for her.”

“Kel, we both know you’re not terrible. Relax.”

“I know, but Press, I’m crazy about her and I couldn’t even do her the honors of giving her a shoulder to cry on.” Kelley had her back facing Alex, who was still on the bed.

“I did. It’s okay Kelley, relax.” Christen tried.

Unknowingly, Alex had opened her eyes…pretty widely in shock. _Kelley’s crazy about me?!_

Christen and Kelley both felt her staring too, and the defender turned around immediately, their eyes meeting.

_Oh. Shit._

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find that Alex is trying to be spontaneous and impulsive. Is it a good thing though? Tobin gets the wrong idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figuring out what she wants is going to be a tough one. Who's your end game?

Alex was the last to board the plane as the USWNT were getting ready to finally leave Canada to go home to the States and celebrate their huge accomplishment of being World Cup Champions again.

The moments prior to this were pretty uncomfortable. She hadn’t been able to fully process Kelley’s apparent feelings for her because she had gotten up and ran out of the room. The now very panicked girl had nowhere to run to. She had locked the door to her room and packed fiercely. Tobin was already done and out with Ashlyn, thank God. She took so much time because she couldn’t stand the thought of looking either Tobin or Kelley in the eye right now. Things were just so weird and she felt so much—none of the emotions being explainable.

Her mind kept running in overdrive, full throttle. There was no silence. Everything was in vertigo. She honestly didn’t know who she had feelings for anymore, or who she didn’t for that matter. It was all one big mess, too confusing to try and sort out on her own. 

When Jill texted everyone to make sure they were heading onto the plane, Alex flinched and slowly trudged to get on board, intent on being as discreet and lowkey as possible. Unfortunately, on the national team, there was no way to do that. It used to be one of the reasons why she loved it.

Not anymore.

She carried her things quietly, mustering her way awkwardly through the aisle trying to find a place to sit, averting specific people's eyes today.

Usually, the striker obviously sat next to Kelley or Tobin, sometimes it was Syd, and other days occasionally even Pinoe. Today, however, as she slowly, briefly took a look up, Alex found that Kelley was sitting next to Press, Tobin next to Ashlyn. The whole Kelley and Press thing wasn't weird, but Tobin and Ashlyn was. Alex knew they were close, but when it came to seats, clearly Ashlyn and Ali usually wanted to sit next to each other because they were a couple. No matter. Ali was the only seat left, and that was okay for the time being because they had talked earlier.

The striker couldn’t help but feel a little odd anyways though. It wasn’t weird that she would be sitting next to Ali, but the entire situation was horrible and she could practically feel Tobin and Kelley’s eyes shooting daggers into her skin even though they weren't. Not too much anyways...

“So I take it it didn’t go so well?” Ali offered, her tone gentle as Alex sat down beside her.

“That’s an understatement.”

“Do you want to talk about it? Maybe it’ll help you ease your mind. After all, we do have a good four hours to kill.”

“Okay…where do I begin?”

* * *

“So what happened the night I was drunk Ash? Was Alex with me?” Tobin finally brought it up as the plane took flight.

The blond raised an eyebrow. “She left a little into the party. I guess she wasn’t feeling it. I remember her asking me to take care of you. You sauntered over to Ali and I. Actually…I can recall of you doing a lot of cockblocking.” Ashlyn paused to laugh. “You were saying bizarre things though. Y’know, you’re more affectionate than I am when you’re drunk. That’s probably one of the main things I can remember. Why do you ask anyways?”

“Alex was being weird. She called me out on my drunk behavior. I just obviously had no idea what she was talking about. I just figured you would know.”

“Well, it probably has to do with how much you were leaning on her and touching her and all. She probably doesn’t like that.”

“Ash, you’re like that with her and everyone else all the time. How is this any different?”

“Tobs, everyone knows how much I love Ali. It’s obvious we’re in love. That’s why the girls are okay with me being affectionate. Plus, that’s just naturally how I am. You, however, are single, and you aren’t like me. You should probably say sorry and back off.”

“You think so?” Tobin bit her lip momentarily. “But…there’s also one more thing.”

“Hit me, Heath.”

“Well, before this that was when Alex and I talked. It seemed like she wanted to discuss something more serious than my being drunk, but she got all…different at the last moment and I almost want to say that was just a last second lie she blurted out instead.”

Ashlyn Harris thought about it for a moment. “Hmm...I don’t know. You know her best after all, not me. If you've got a hunch that's something is wrong, you're probably right. But again, that’s something you have to talk to her about. I can’t help you there. Sorry Tobs.”

“That’s all right. Thanks for listening to me. I just wonder what it could be.” She closed her eyes and fell asleep to the sound of Lecrae rapping about Christ.

* * *

“I tried to tell her Ali. I really did. I don’t know what happened. There was an instance where I thought I mustered up all the courage I needed to say ‘hey, I like you so much.’ But then I just froze up and said something entirely different and pathetic.”

“What’d you say Morgs? That you were going to marry Taylor Swift?” Ali joked.

“Ugh I actually wish my brain would have formulated that lie instead. That would have gone a lot better. I told her I don’t like when she’s drunk. I wasn’t lying at least. I hate the way she gets all touchy because that’s what I want when she’s sober. It breaks my heart, you know?”

“Oh Al. I’m sorry. What did she say to that?”

“She didn’t understand. Which I guess I get because that’s not what I want to say. I freaked out and just left. But it gets worse…”

Ali looked at her silently, motioning her to continue.

“I ended up crying, y’know, like the sappy girl I am, and…Chris ran into me. That helped honestly. She’s such a sweet and quiet soul. Anyways, I guess I must have fallen asleep. Next thing I know, I’m overhearing Pressy and Kelley and Kelley says she’s crazy about me and wishes she would have been there to take care of me…”

The news made Ali’s eyes widen. _You chose THEN out of all times? Kelley you have such terrible timing._ She empathized deeply for the Stanford star who had once vented her heart out to both her and Christen. Ali Krieger knew how much Kelley loved Alex beyond the friendship level. It pained her to hear this confusing triangle ensue.

“Alex, you need to address your feelings. What is running through your mind now that so much has happened?”

“That’s the thing, Ali. I’m confused. I don’t know what I want anymore. I never even considered Kelley to be an option. We don’t talk about her sexuality much, and she doesn’t open up about who she likes. Now that I know…I…I don’t know. I just don’t want to screw up my friendship with her or Tobin.”

“You need to talk to both of them some time, Al. I recommend Tobin first because you and Kelley are probably both going to be staying in California for a few days before heading back to your clubs.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Thanks Al. I’m gonna go to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. I can’t look like I’m dead.”

“Attention passengers, we will be landing in approximately fifteen minutes.” The pilot’s voice rang all throughout, waking Kelley up—Kelley had slept the entire ride through.

Christen smiled at her as she watched her best friend stir. “You okay sleepyhead?”

“Yeah.” The Georgian returned a grin. “I feel better. I’m gonna…go to the restroom. Y’know, wash the eye boogers off my face and all that jazz.”

“Okay. We land soon, just in case you didn’t hear the guy.”

Kelley groggily made her way to the bathroom, and as luck would have it, when she looked up, Alex was right there too, aiming for the same destination. Their eyes met awkwardly and neither of them knew who should speak first and what should be said.

Alex blinked for a moment and thought about it. _Oh what the hell. Let’s try this. It can’t be any worse. Plus I need to test the waters for myself._ “Come here.” She pulled Kelley into the bathroom before anyone could notice, and especially before the defender could even react.

She practically threw Kelley onto the counter before locking the door behind her. _Thank God we always fly first class. This bathroom is a lot bigger than I expected._

“Alex what—”

The forward leaned into Kelley, pressing their lips together. Kelley O’Hara stopped trying to question it. She gave in and allowed her lust to take over, her hands wandering, making their way up Alex’s stomach. She felt her teammate’s tone abs and ended up ripping off her shirt as a response.

Alex, on the other hand, high on an adrenaline rush, retaliated by planting kisses all on Kelley’s neck, her lips going from gentle to ravishing, baring her teeth and biting and sucking. This earned a low, growly moan from the defender, which inevitably turned Alex Morgan on.

“I’m…experimenting.” She finally answered the defender, after taking a moment to catch her breath. “We’ll talk about it later.” Alex moaned, her hands wandering towards Kelley’s core now.

There was only one thought on her mind: Ali’s comment about the mile high club.

And she had to admit, as she was trying to suppress her moans in the cramped up space, Alex had to admit she definitely felt something for Kelley.

“You don’t want to do this.” Kelley warned, rasping.

“I won’t know until after. Now shut up.” Alex growled, licking at her neck with a purpose.

The Georgian swiped the taller girl’s hand away and reversed them so she had her pinned against the counter now. Kelley stripped Alex’s shorts and brought her lips to her clit, as well as two fingers.

She worked magic Alex Morgan never knew Kelley O’Hara was capable of. They never talked about Kelley’s sex life after her and Hope broke up. They never talked much about Kelley’s relationship life in general. Apparently she had a ton of tricks up her sleeve that made Alex want to scream—literally, and she did.

It was all somewhat of a blur for Kelley, but she did pride herself in making Alex swear profusely. She didn't want this moment to end, as odd and unorthodox as it was. She thought it was too good to be true, and the fact that it was probably true was enough to nearly break her heart again right then and there. No matter. As Kelley was nearly hypnotized by the look Alex gave and the way her body bent, she closed her own eyes to try and remember this moment to its entirety.

As the striker was about to be sent over the edge, the former Stanford star withdrew her hands and caught Alex’s lips with her own to muffle the griping.

When Alex finally could feel her lungs working again, all she could manage was three words:

_Oh my God._

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is very...fast moving, dominant, whatever. It might be possible that Tobin's nonchalant attitude will cause problems.

The USWNT were scheduled to appear at ESPN’s Body Issue party to honor Ali Krieger, who had just recently posed naked with a bunch of other athletes. Alex felt so uncomfortable. She forgot about all the events that still would require her be with the entire team…and Kelley and Tobin.

Everyone stayed in LA because there was no point in leaving and flying straight back, and Alex Morgan’s roommate, as Jill Ellis so confidently declared, was indeed Kelley O’Hara. Great.

Were things awkward? Understatement.

Kelley went to bed when they landed and avoided conversation, and Alex had gone out with Ashlyn and Ali.

It was a new day now, and things weren’t any better.

They had two hours to get ready, which was honestly more than enough time for the both of them. Alex was already dolled up, and all she had to do was change now.

Kelley walked out in a simple but stunning multi-colored dress that revealed her chest. They made eye contact awkwardly as they sat on opposites ends of the couch. Neither of them had said anything past that little mile high club incident. It was both a blessing and a curse that no one on the flight had found out. It was honestly kind of weird. Alex was probably never going to speak of it ever if at all possible, and Kelley was kind of scared. She knew she had to bring it up eventually though, so she did.

“You look nice."

"You do too, Kel."

"Can we talk about what happened on the plane?”

“If you agree to fully address your feelings for me. You kind of owe me an explanation too.” Alex spurt back. She didn’t mean for it to sound rude and hurtful, but…well, it was just that. She watched one of her best friends wince.

“You weren’t supposed to find out like that. I was going to tell you…”

“When Kel? Why would you hide it from me anyways? You know, figuring this out now is the worst of all possible times.”

It was Kelley’s turn to be mad now.

“Seriously? You’re joking, right? When was there going to be a good time Alex? Never. You’re crushing hard on Tobin. I’m not stupid. I wasn’t going to get in the way of that. I see the way you look at her. I’m not blind. If you guys were going to date, I wasn’t going to ruin that.”

Alex was genuinely shocked by what she was hearing. Kelley was willing to stomach all of that just for her? Why? _I wouldn’t be able to do that if I really liked someone…not in a million years._ “I don’t understand. You were just going to suck it up and get over me?”

“You’re talking like you want to be with me, but I don’t think you do. What DO you even want anyways?”

“I don’t know Kelley. It’s confusing. I didn’t even see you as an option before…I never thought you would have feelings for me. When did this…how?”

“I don’t know, Al. Somewhere between the cuddles, the competitive board games, the ice baths together, the fact that we always end up in a hug when you score, or when I scored for the first time…it’s the way you make me laugh when I don’t even want to, the way your eyes get all intense on the field, the rasp in your voice, it’s the way you pull me closer when we sleep beside each other for God’s sake…” Kelley’s voice trailed off as her heart sank. “Look, it’s whatever, okay? I never should have said yes on that airplane. I love you. I’m crazy about you, and I want to be with you, and the fact that our first time was in a fifteen minute time frame, on an airplane, when we aren’t even together is so upsetting to me. Your turn. Why did you do that?”

The confession was just more information for Alex’s heart to process. It was overwhelmingly sweet. She just couldn’t tell if she was feeling the same. She didn’t know what to say. “I…pull you closer when we sleep?”

“Every. Single. Time. But that’s beside the point. Just answer my stupid question.”

“I don’t know, Kelley. I just thought it would help clear things up for me…it didn’t. It just made things harder to fathom. I didn’t mean to take you on an emotional rollercoaster. You don’t deserve—”

“You’re right. I definitely don’t deserve this. You’re just dragging me along, and I don’t need this. That’s exactly why I left Hope. She didn’t want to be with just me. She didn’t want to settle. I need someone who is sure of me. Alex, look, I want to be with you, but the way you look at Tobin is not the way you look at me. I get that. I’m okay, I promise. It’s probably just some silly crush I have on you anyways that will go away. I don’t want this to be weird. I still want to be your best friend. Maybe if the timing is better in the future, maybe we can be together, if you like me at all by then, that is.”

Alex felt her throat tighten up. Why was this so weird? It felt like Kelley was breaking up with her, and they weren’t together. Even then, she figured she would have to be the one to tell Kelley the bad news, not the other way around. She wanted to cry which was even weirder. “I think I do like you, but you’re right. This isn’t what I want. I can’t see myself dating you, not right now. Maybe like you said, yeah, our timing must have been off. I need to try things with Tobin. The feelings I have for her have been here for way too long for me not to try and pursue this.”

The striker moved closer and hugged her teammate. “I love you Kel. Thank you for being so patient and kind with this. I’m so glad you don’t hate me. I’m sorry…for…using you almost to help me figure myself out. Can we please just keep this between us? The sex thing.”

“Yeah. No problem. I love you too, Al.”

In that moment, both their phones buzzed. Jill was texting for everyone to get on the bus so they could all go to the party. Kelley wiggled uncomfortably out of the hug. Sure, she was holding it together as much as she could on the exterior, but inside she was a wreck. _This is going to be the longest night of my life._ “We should get going.”

Everyone boarded the buses noisily, excited to be back in the States. Lots of loving and teasing comments were thrown at Ali, who took them all with a wholehearted smile.

Kelley took her typical seat next to Christen, and Alex mustered up the courage to sit next to Tobin, which surprised the both of them.

“Hey you.” She tried, grinning at the midfielder.

“Hi.” A wide smile returned.

“Listen, I need to talk to you.” _I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it._

“Shoot.”

“I’ve been infatuated with you for a long time and thinking about you makes me nervous and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. Last time we tried to have this talk, I said what I did because you get all touchy when you’re drunk, and that’s…what I want when you’re normal, Tobs. I think I’m in love with you.” Alex Morgan rambled fiercely, each word prying their way out of her mouth. It felt like such a relief being able to say all of that without a stutter or interruption of fear.

Tobin Heath’s eyes lit up. “You were afraid to tell me all of that? You’re such a chicken!” She playfully shoved Alex on the shoulder and let her hand come all the way down to grab her teammate’s. “To think I was worried you weren’t into me at all. I kind of like you too, Alex. I can’t believe you’re coming on to me. I’m thrilled.” She joked. _Still satirical,_ Alex groaned to herself.

“Oh shut up.” The forward leaned over and kissed the Tar Heel with fervor. The kiss was tender, the feeling was indescribable. A lot different than when she kissed Kelley. A lot softer. More meaning.

When they got to the party, Alex, Tobin, Christen, Kelley, Ashlyn, and Ali were all at one table. It wasn’t as awkward as both Alex and Kelley could imagine. Alex was too preoccupied with Tobin, and Kelley kept her mind off of it by talking to the rest of the pack, specifically Christen. At this point, and maybe since forever, Christen was her backbone.

They got to see Ali’s official magazine shots on a giant screen. Pinoe whistled obnoxiously and gleefully. “WOO HONEY, you look F I N E.”

“Ali if I wasn’t straight, I’d totally do you.” Syd joked.

“And married.” Dom Dwyer chimed in, chuckling.

“Yeah, you look beautiful Ali.” Christen joined in. She was working on coming out of her shell some more. Ashlyn and Ali always tried to make sure she was included. It was that Tyreso bond. They understood she was naturally a quiet storm, and everyone was all the more proud to hear her voice in small talk. Truth be told, small talk and big events made Christen Press nervous. She was clammy and sweating profusely, but much like she was for Kelley, Kelley was also her backbone too.

Alex Morgan felt better about everything, but she and Tobin hadn’t made anything official yet. They were secretly playing with each other’s hands under the table though, so that was something. After the presentations of the Body Issue pictures, more small talk commenced as everyone got their food.

The World Cup champs dug in violently, ravishing it all with a decent amount of lady-like manners. They were soccer players after all, they ate a lot. As there was a whirlwind of conversation, Alex suddenly had a mischievous idea. She waited until Tobin was mid conversation with Ashlyn and stopped to get a mouthful of chicken. Then, the forward let go of her hand and wandered easily under her dress. She quickly found her way into her core, rubbing and swirling at her clit.

Tobin jumped immediately, bumping her knee on the table.

“Whoa, you okay Tobs?” Ashlyn raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Fine. Sorry. Muscle spasm. Y’know how those are.” She tried desperately, shooting Alex a look that Kelley caught but tried to ignore.

Everyone continued talking, and Tobin turned towards the striker. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Alex smirked. “So Press, are you happy to be back in your hometown?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “I’ve missed it a lot. My puppies especially. You guys are welcome to come see them tomorrow if you want.”

“YES. I love Morena!!” Alex squealed.

A speaker came out to deliver a speech about women’s empowerment over their own bodies and things of that nature, and Alex’s hand never moved from where it was. Instead, it only got worse. She slid a finger in and began pumping in and out.

Tobin clamped viciously down on her bottom lip to keep from screaming. She tried to subtly take Alex’s hand away, but failed to do so. “Cut it out.”

“Or what?” Alex whispered back, the famous rasp in her voice that evidently sent chills up Tobin’s spine now. “Are you going to punish me later?”

The words themselves were almost enough to spin Tobin Heath out of control. She tried to calm herself and focus on the speaker again.

It worked for a while, the profuse breathing she had learned from Christen actually, but it didn’t last long.

Two fingers found their way inside of the midfielder, and she was panting now, not to mention sweating.

“You’re so wet for me.” Alex spoke again, her voice dominating Tobin’s body. In that short moment, it felt like they were the only ones in the room.

This was crossing a new line for the both of them. There was no going back now. Alex was taking charge, and she honestly didn’t mind it. Hopefully they would be together for a long time. Was it weird that they were practically having sex before officially being each other’s girlfriend? Not in this case. Both of them knew they had unspoken feelings for each other. It was about damn time they addressed it.

Tobin stared directly into Alex’s ocean blue eyes.

“...You’re going to get it later.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the gals play some games at the Press house. Where the heck is all this going?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been getting a lot of torn feedback; some people are all Kellex, some Talex, and a few of you are even O'Press. I have a plan of what's endgame, but I need a little opinion on whether or not it should be a happy ending?

After the party, the team bused back to the hotel. Everyone could go their own way tomorrow, and the pack at the table decided they would head to Christen’s house to play with her puppies that evidently were much bigger than puppies, and to play board games and things of that nature. The weather was beautiful in LA, so no one could turn it down. Pinoe and Syd said they would tag along too, which made it all the more fun.

Alex didn’t go back to her room though, she went to Tobin’s. As luck would have it, Christen was the Tar Heel’s roommate, and asking her to switch was easy.

“Thank you so much Press. I’ll see you in the morning.” Alex smiled at her as she agreed and was heading on out.

“No problem.” The shy forward returned a grin.

Tobin had definitely given Alex what she deserved, and afterwards, both of them lay side by side, cuddling and panting.

“How was that?” The midfielder managed after catching her breath.

“Everything I could ever imagine.”

“Well I guess I should ask you if you want to be my girlfriend or whatever.” Tobin grinned goofily. Alex blushed.

“Of course.” Alex kissed her and was the big spoon as they both fell asleep instantly.

* * *

Press opened the door with Alex’s key and found Kelley sitting quietly on the kitchen counter, which was really odd and definitely a first. “I would ask you if you’re okay, but I think I already know the answer.”

“Yeah well, if I ever say I’m fine or I’m okay, you know I’m lying. I thought I was going to be okay with all of this, but I’m not. It hurts, Chris. Looking at her even hurts.”

Press shut the door behind her and wrapped her arms around her best friend’s sides. “Things like this just take time, Kel, remember? We went over this. Look, after tomorrow they’ll be gone. You can still stay with me if you want before you journey back to New Jersey. There’s still some time before we have to go back to our clubs.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll do that.” The freckle face looked down and tried not to cry. Christen kissed the side of her head instinctively. “I know it’s hard Kel, but you aren’t going to go through this alone.”

“Thanks, Chris. I’m just being a baby because my heart is broken.”

“Oh you’re gonna be fine. My puppies can cheer you up tomorrow.” Press gently tickled the defender’s sides, earning several giggles and a soft punch to her abs to try and get her to stop.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Kelley had found her grin again. “Okay. I think I’m gonna go to bed. Good night, Chris.”

“I’ll be reading if you need me. Good night, Kel.”

* * *

The next day, the national team parted several different ways. They were officially released from USWNT duty for a while, until their victory tour of course. Now they had a few days to relax before going back to NWSL.

A giant squad showed up to Christen’s house, everyone with wide smiles and hungover eyes. The striker couldn’t find her keys immediately, so she just rang the door. “Sorry guys.” She fidgeted.

“Stanford star is slacking!!” Syd joked.

Poppa Press opened it and Christen was immediately mauled by her two dogs, Khaleesi and Morena.

“Hi babies. I missed you both!!” The forward’s inner baby voice came out and Kelley couldn’t help but smile at it. She knew how much her teammate cared about her puppies. Press composed herself. “Hey dad.”

“Looks like you brought the press pack this time. Hi sweetie.” He kissed her forehead. “We missed you. Come on in WORLD CHAMPS!!” #23 watched in playfully agony as her father did an embarrassing victory dance.

“Hey mom.” Christen went over and kissed her mom’s cheek, giving her a big hug as well.

“Hi baby!” Momma Press’ smile glistened as she saw everyone. “Your dad and I are going to go out for a bit. We’ve got a brunch date and tickets to a Galaxy game, so you’ve got the house. Make sure you change the dogs’ water. Love you. Welcome in everyone!! You all did awesome. Had me on edge the entire tournament.”

“Thanks momma press!” Everyone chimed in unison as they watched Christen’s parents saunter goofily out of the door. Her dad sure knew how to bring out the best in her mom.

Syd and Alex were already wrestling with Morena, who was having all the fun licking at their faces. Tobin followed behind, putting her hands on Alex’s shoulders. Kelley rolled her eyes.

“I’ll go find the board games.” Christen declared.

Kelley O’Hara preoccupied herself by playing with Khaleesi, Press’ new puppy. She was just as cute, and Ashlyn joined her. “You okay? I’ve never seen you by yourself when you’re with this crazy team.”

“Yeah. Fine. Just want to get down with Settlers of Catan.”

“Kel, if something is bothering you you can tell one of us. That’s what teammates are for.” The blonde offered, reaching for her hand.

“Ash, I appreciate it, but it’s cool. I have nothing I want to talk about. I’m going to go help Christen.”

“Okay.”

“She’s been acting really weird, Ali. I’m not sure what it is, but Kelley is off.” The keeper stared into space as if she was onto something.

“It’s Alex and Tobin, dummy. I personally think her and Alex would be a better fit, but to each his own. Now let’s get ready for monopoly.” Ali Krieger tried a smile.

Ashlyn chuckled. “I have a more interesting idea.”

* * *

Christen had to grab a step stool to reach the best games—her dad kept them stashed at the top of their closet because they were her favorite. They didn’t play them as much without her, and the forward secretly liked that. When she reached for Monopoly and Risk, another game fell off the shelf and caught her off guard, nearly hitting her in the face. She fell awkwardly off the stool. “Shoot.” She grumbled.

Press wasn’t a potty mouth, and though Kelley was sometimes, the fact that her best friend didn’t swear was cute to her. Adorable and admirable. The shorter girl helped her up. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Press fought back a blush. “Sorry. I’m a klutz.”

“You’re not. It was an accident. You’re one of the more graceful people I know.” Kelley laughed and gave her a hand up. “Okay, come on. Let’s get back to the others.”

When the duo came back, both of them set six board games down each and nearly toppled over doing so. The striker laughed at the chaos. “Sorry we took so long…it’s hard trying to figure out what to play when we have literally a Toys R Us in our closet.”

Ashlyn Harris took charge. “Awesome Pressy, but before we get to those, I figure we play a simpler game. We’re already pretty clear from our hangovers, so why not do a little more drinking? Let’s play Never Have I Ever. If you’ve done it, you drink. First to empty their cup loses and has to set up Settlers of Catan.”

“I’m down.” Syd went to grab the wine glasses. “Champagne?”

“Sounds good to me.” Alex rasped, grabbing Tobin and sitting down on the couch.

“You just want another excuse to get drunk.” Kelley playfully rolled her eyes.

“You in Press?” Ashlyn raised an eyebrow as everyone else sat down to follow suit.

She inhaled for a moment. “Sure, yeah. I’m in. How about Pinoe start?”

Sydney Leroux set several glasses down and poured the champagne. “All right go head Peens, make it good.”

“Well, I’m really competitive and I need to win, so…let me knock some of you out early.” She winked teasingly. “Never have I ever dated someone on the team.”

A bunch of groans echoed the room, and Christen chuckled softly to herself as Morena climbed selfishly onto her lap. Everyone drank except Pinoe of course, herself, and Syd.

“I’ll go.” Leroux took charge immediately. “Never have I ever…played club soccer overseas. Gotcha.”

Ali, Ashlyn, Tobin, Pinoe, and Press sipped. “Tyreso!!” Ali smiled, nostalgic. “I miss it.”

“I think we all do.” Ashlyn tried. “Okay…never have I ever had a crush on someone who didn’t feel the same way.” She eyed the girls carefully, gauging. She gripped Ali’s hand, and they both watched as Kelley drank for sure, and they could have promised they saw Alex debate on taking a sip too. Kelley O’Hara took the glass and drank slowly, eyeing Alex all the way through. The forward tried to avoid eye contact, and that made the Stanford alum want to go after her almost, but she changed her mind. It was just a dumb game after all.

“Never have I ever dated a guy.” Kelley chuckled. “Sorry Syd. Straight girl probs.”

Syd, Alex, and Tobin drank.

“Pretty sure Alex here is winning.” Tobin laughed, her smile filling up her face as usual. “I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing. Maybe losing is the better term there.” She sloppy kissed her cheek. Kelley was visibly annoyed. Press shot her a wipe-that-glare-off-your-face glare of her own.

“Oh whatever. I’ve done a lot. You included.” Alex mumbled, audibly enough so Tobin could hear.

“Okay okay, go Tobs. I want to have time to whoop you guys in monopoly and play with Khaleesi.” Syd interjected.

“Never have I ever…been nutmegged.” A roar of laughter thundered all around. Classic Tobin.

Everyone drank besides the slightly egotistical UNC alum.

“I find it hard to believe that you’ve never been megged yourself, Tobs.” Kriegs offered her a sip of the champagne.

“I know how to keep my legs closed.” Heath winked.

Alex was inches away from making a sexual comment but decided to keep it to herself. She was about a sip away from losing this game anyways.  _Sheesh am I that unpure? Hah._

“Okay…never have I ever serenaded someone.” Ali tried. Ashlyn grinned at how innocent she was on the exterior.

Pinoe drank and was fine about it. “When your girlfriend is a singer, it’s kind of hard to impress her. But that’s okay.”

“You go Al.”

“Never have I ever gone to Stanford.” Kelley and Press lightheartedly groaned. “That was a low blow Morgs.” The two proud nerds clinked their glasses together to toast and took a drink.

“My turn.” The shy introverted girl managed. “Never have I ever…peed my pants when I was younger.”

Kelley laughed. “You’re so lame Chris, but I love you anyways.”

Syd, Ashlyn, and Tobin drank, causing a commotion.

“ASHLYN?!” Ali exaggerated, putting her hand on her heart as if she was about to faint.

“Okay you know what, I was seven and I wasn’t going to pop a squat outside. We were camping. I didn’t care. Whatever. Ick.” The keeper kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. “You still love me anyways.”

“I do.” Ali blushed.

“All right all right, I’m going again.” Syd declared out of the blue. “Never have I ever joined the mile high club.” She sat back as if she knew someone like Pinoe or Ashlyn would sip, which they did. Ali too. But the biggest shocker of all was watching Kelley and Alex drink.

“I lost.” Alex mumbled. “Empty glass.”

“WHO DID YOU DO ON AN AIRPLANE?!” Syd and Ashlyn yelled almost at the same time.

Christen raised an eyebrow at Kelley, already knowing the answer. That look was the one that meant you-better-explain-later.

Alex Morgan didn’t know what to do. She panicked as she saw Tobin look at her quizzically too. “I…uh, could have promised this was Never Have I Ever. I don’t have to explain.”

“But you lost. And as the loser, yes. You do have to explain. That is your one and only punishment.” Ashlyn countered.

“This is so unfair. It doesn’t matter. Okay? It was a long time ago and Servando and I were…yeah. Okay. No details.”

It was a lie that only a handful of girls bought. Tobin especially knew otherwise and was wondering why she had to lie about it.

“Al, you and Servando have literally never been on an airplane together.” Alex Morgan's eyes widened at Tobin's comment. She froze up and forgot how to speak in general. This wasn't good.

Christen intended to save the poor girl on the hotspot. Saving her would also mean saving Kelley, and that's all she really cared about.

“How about a game of Catan now? Or let’s hit the beach with my zen pups? Yeah? Okay. Cool.”

Alex eyed Press briefly and mouthed “Thank You” and exhaled, picking up Khaleesi.

The Press Pack filed out of the house quickly, everyone still skeptical about what just happened.

Especially Tobin.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Issues get talked about briefly. Is Tobin really just that laid back, or does she secretly really care about Alex?

The beach was much needed after the unnecessarily surprising awkward tension of a game. Everyone was unwinding, and for most of the girls, they dropped the entire matter altogether.

Except Tobin, of course. She wasn’t bothered by the fact that Alex had sex with someone prior to them getting together, she was just still caught up on the fact that she lied. The midfielder figured Kelley would probably know, as the trio were super close.

Tobin Heath took a seat beside Kelley O’Hara, who was getting ready to go surf in the water. Other than soccer, surfing was always her go to solace. Morena was laying beside her—the zen pup loved Kelley the best out of all of Christen’s teammates: one because she saw her the most often, and two how could you not love Kelley? She was practically a puppy herself.

“Hey squirrel. It’s been a while since we’ve had a full on conversation.”

The freckled face girl tried her hardest to smile. It was different now. It was weird. She didn’t want it to be weird, but it was so so so agonizingly strange—definitely not a feeling she could stomach. Christen gave her a reassuring look and it soothed the knot in her throat for the time being. The striker then proceeded to get up and tussle around with a few of the others.

“Yeah, what’s up Tobs?” Kelley’s voice came out drier than she had wanted; it was very apathetic…almost cruel.

“Just miss talking to ya. Gonna update you on my life a little bit. A lot has happened! It’s crazy. God is good.”

“Go for it.”

O’Hara watched as her teammate’s iconic, gargantuan smile crept its way across her face the way it always did when she talked about something that was good in her life; slowly, and then all at once. “Well, other than y’know, winning the World Cup, Alex and I got together. I’m sure you obviously already see that, but I figured as one of my best friends, I give you a little insight.”

“Oh please do.” Kelley tried to tone down her sarcasm a bit to seem interested. Truth be told, she sort of did want to know, even if it would end up hurting her like hell later.

“Well, apparently Alex has had feelings for me for a while. I didn’t know that. That’s pretty crazy right? So we, erm, one thing lead to another, and we’re a thing now ever since yesterday; however, it feels like we’ve been together forever. It’s cool, a nice feeling, loving someone, y’know? I just am not about that whole marriage and stuff. I don’t know if I want this long term. I love Alex, and trying this has been nothing but ups so far, but I mean, I’m so nomadic I think it’s sunken into my relationships.”

“You’d be dumb to let her go.” The very envious girl mumbled inaudibly. “I guess then you’ll just have to take things one step at a time huh?”

Tobin laughed a full laugh that began from her stomach. “Yeah, I guess so. She’s really good to me though.”

“Cool.”

The midfielder wasn’t all that crazy about her best friend’s tone at this point; it was surprising she had barely caught on. “Something wrong, KO? You never talk to me in one word sentences. It’s usually babbles and rambles and endless and nonsense.”

“I think I’m probably officially winded out from traveling and partying and being a World Cup champ, that’s all. Don’t worry about me.”

“Don’t worry about me is exactly what you say when I’m supposed to be worried about you. Did you murder someone? I’ll help you hide the body.” Heath joked, reaching over and nudging Kelley’s arm. That didn’t get a great response either.

“Nah, look Tobs, I’m glad you’re happy, okay?”

“Me too. Thanks for always being there for me…”

An awkward silence snuck its way into their conversation. It was finally broken up after what felt like a century.

“Also…I wanted to ask you something about Alex.”

“What?”

“So you know how earlier when we were playing Never Have I Ever?” Tobin’s face shifted immediately, as well as the tone in her voice. For probably the first time in her life, Kelley witnessed a serious version of the nutmegger.

“Yeah…? You know Tobin, it would be easier if you just told me your entire though instead of asking simple rhetorical questions really.”

 _Tobin? She never calls me Tobin._ “Uh, sorry. Well, I was wondering why Alex felt the need to lie about that last one. Obviously she and Servando have never been on a plane together. Sure they were a couple for a while, but they NEVER traveled together. It just didn’t make any sense to me. Did she do something stupid and regret it that badly? I suppose I was assuming she told you about it…and you wouldn’t mind telling me?”

“If it was important, I’m sure she’d tell you. She never told me anything, to be fair.” Kelley shrugged. It wasn’t a lie, and that’s definitely why she didn’t feel bad about it.

“You’re right. Maybe I’ll ask her straight up about it myself. Thanks, KO. I love you, you know.”

“Yeah Tobin. I know.”

* * *

The day ended faster than anyone would have liked it to. Everyone watched the sunset on the beach as the pups were both asleep. They later said their goodbyes to each other, Ali and Ashlyn leaving together, Tobin and Alex leaving together, and Pinoe going her separate way.

Alex’s farewell was a bit awkward. She thanked Christen’s parents and hugged her. “I’ll see you soon when we play ya! I love you, CP.”

“Likewise, Al.” The forwards smiled as they let each other go.

“Bye, Kel.” Alex Morgan reached out for a hug which Kelley allowed, but everything felt wrong again. Her heart dropped.

“See ya.”

Tobin was driving as both of them sped off after finally landing in Oregon, and the Tar Heel finally found the courage to bring up what was bothering her.

“Hey Lex? Can I talk to you about something?”

Alex’s eyes widened a bit. “Yeah, sure. What is it babe?”

“It’s about the whole Never Have I Ever game earlier. It’s been bugging me. Remember when Syd did the whole mile high club thing?”

“How could I forget.” Alex grumbled. “Yeah?”

“Why did you lie about it?”

Tobin looked hurt. She wouldn’t ever admit to it, but her eyes said everything her mouth didn’t. An overwhelming amount of guilt washed over Alex. “I…um. It’s easier that way, y’know? They don’t know that.”

It wasn’t a good enough answer for either of them.

“Is there something I need to know about?”

“Maybe when we get home.”

“Okay.” Tobin answered. The rest of the ride was uncomfortably silent.

* * *

 

Kelley exhaled loudly once the entire commotion was over. She sank in a defeated manner on Christen’s couch. “I’m so glad that’s over honestly. I thought I was never gonna make it out of there without wanting to die.”

“Aw don’t say that. It could’ve been worse.” Press plopped down right beside her. “Hey, so you owe me a little explanation. How did you end up…doing it with Alex?”

The question should have hit her like a ton of bricks all over again, but Kelley couldn’t help but giggle. “Are you serious? Chris, how old are we?”

“Kel, you wanted to keep a baby squirrel the other day. Don’t talk to me about my diction.”

“Haha okay touché. Well, it was kind of spontaneous. Not the good spontaneous either. Remember on the flight when I said I was going to the bathroom? I was…and so was Alex. She literally pulled me in there before I could object. I tried to tell her Chris. I kept trying to make it a point that she shouldn’t do what she wanted to, but…she gave in.”

Christen Press was baffled by Alex’s sudden decisions. “Poor Alex. She’s confusing and confused. How did it go?”

“POOR ALEX? YOU MEAN POOR KELLEY. Anyways, if you’re asking me about the sex, it was fine. I kind of took over mostly…” The defender laughed to herself. “Uh, yeah. I definitely took over. She’s a quick learner though. Not that…you needed to hear that.”

The striker laughed as well. “You’re right. Definitely too much info. Did you guys talk about it?”

“Yeah. I mean, as much as we could. She says me liking her is bad timing. Maybe we’ll be together later, maybe not. Her decision was to pursue Tobin because she’s been fighting the feelings for long enough. You know, I think the worst part was her saying that she didn’t even know I was an option. What the hell does that even mean? She doesn’t find me attractive? She’s never looked at me like that? I mean, yeah we’re super close. I enjoy comforting her and stuff and vice versa, but I caught feelings pretty fast. How could she ignore it all like that?”

Press heard her parents come home through the garage and got up to set plates down so they could have a late snack. “She’s infatuated with Tobin. Blind to what’s right under her nose, what’s right before her eyes.”

Kelley helped her too so it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle and let the words resonate in her mind. _Well that makes sense._

* * *

 

When Tobin and Alex finally got back to their apartment in Portland, both of them were dead tired. It was around 2 a.m. now, but Alex knew she still owed her girlfriend an explanation.

They showered quickly and separately, and finally plopped exhaustingly on the bed together. “Spill.” Tobin managed, groggily.

“Okay…so the whole mile high thing. It was super out of the blue. A lot has happened…and I can’t tell you my justification. Nothing will make sense to you. I’m scared you’re going to freak out. You will. You are. I’m asking you to be calm about this because we weren’t a couple when it happened.” Alex fidgeted nervously. She was expecting hell. There was no way on this earth she would get a good response.

“Just tell me Al.”

“It was Kelley.”

Tobin burst out laughing almost. “Yeah, right. Okay.”

Alex Morgan rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious. You know, I would have rather you got all pissed instead of taking it as yet another joke.”

“Like you said, we weren’t together. Why should I be that mad? Why did you do it anyways? Were you serious about her? I didn’t even know you liked Kelley like that…?”

Heath was working her way to becoming extremely jealous, so Alex figured. She didn’t mind it. She wanted desperately for her to be overprotective. “I…didn’t know what to do. I’m not serious about Kelley, but it is the other way around.”

An eyebrow shot up. “Kelley likes you?”

Alex gulped. “Yeah. She didn’t even mean to tell me; I overheard her telling Press. Obviously she wasn’t going to tell you. She knew I liked you and was going to keep quiet.”

Tobin managed a grin. “Kel’s such a great friend. But I don’t really get why you had to have sex with her to figure yourself out.”

“I know.” The forward bit her lip. “I’m sorry.”

“You know, it’s cool. I’m not looking for anything serious anyways Alex. I love you, but I’m not in love with you…” Tobin paused.

Alex Morgan was anticipating a “yet” to come after her phrase, but it never happened.

When she looked up at her girlfriend, she was dead asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I've worked out a definite endgame, but I'm not sure how to progress this story. Stay tuned. It will be a happy ending for some though! ;) 
> 
> Connect with me:  
> justawarinmyhead.tumblr.com  
> Check out my USWNT mix: http://8tracks.com/inhale-exhale/veni-vidi-vici


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At least Kelley doesn't turn to alcohol to soothe her pain, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will revolve much more around Alex and Tobin. Sorry I haven't updated quicker! It's been a little hectic. I'm gonna work on an O'Press fic tomorrow. ;)

Kelley woke up and joined the Press pack for breakfast the next morning. It was nice to be somewhere she knew she was accepted. Christen’s parents were so cute in general, and they always were good to her. When Kelley’s parents couldn’t make it to her games in college, Papa Press would wear her jersey. He even did so during the national team games occasionally. That’s just how much he cared for the girl.

She actually had to wake her best friend up. Kelley O’Hara hated mornings, but Christen was a totally different person in the a.m. She was a wreck. Don’t even count on her functioning properly as a human without her coffee.

Everyone sat at the table, which was filled with goodies such as waffles, pancakes, bacon, and sausage.

“How do ya feel champ? I still can’t over your goal. I think I like it more than Christen’s.” Papa Press took a huge bite of his waffles and let the laughter evoke from his belly. His daughter teasingly socked him in the shoulder.

“I got you. Remember that next time I score a screamer. I’ll be dedicating it to mom.” That got Mama Press laughing too. “Aw shucks. Thank you sweetie.”

Kelley laughed at them both. “It’s kind of overwhelming honestly and definitely surreal. I have to pinch myself still. I totally scored that goal for you though, Papa P!”

“That’s what I like to hear.” He fist bumped her.

“Do you two have any plans for today?” Christen’s mom asked as she was putting her plate in the sink. She never ate much in the morning, but coffee was her forte.

“I think I’ll be fine just kicking back with the pups.” Kelley grinned as she stretched a bit. “Unless Chris has something in store for us.” She glanced over at her teammate, who was downing coffee like it was the last drop of water in a dessert.

“We’ll see how I feel. I’m not mentally here yet.” Christen groaned, but everyone else in the house thought it was absolutely hilarious.

* * *

Alex woke Tobin up to breakfast in bed. She made banana French toast, turkey bacon, and arranged a little bowl of fruit to go with a cup of orange juice. Everything was perfect, including the way the sunshine decided to peep its way into their room and the kisses that trailed down Tobin’s neck.

“Good morning baby.” Alex Morgan smiled, trying to forget about last night’s roughness. It was a new day after all.

Tobin retaliated with a kiss to her lips. “Hey gorgeous.” She reached greedily for a wad of bacon. “Wow that looks freaking amazing. You know, you definitely didn’t have to do all of this for me.”

“Who said it was for you? I made it for myself. I’m gonna eat it all and you’re gonna watch me.” Alex joked, pulling the tray away from her girlfriend and putting it on the nightstand.

“Ooh is that right?” Tobin pulled her on top and kissed her, allowing her hands to roam and feel Alex’s abs. "I hope you don't get a little distracted here then..."

“Mmm…” Alex smiled mid kiss, but the phrase she heard last night kept replaying in her ears. _I love you, but I’m not in love with you._ She shook her head and ridded the thought momentarily and stripped herself of her shirt. Things were getting irrationally heated. They weren’t saying much; their bodies did all of the work, but when the tension is that bad, they didn’t need to say anything. Was it bad that they didn't really talk about their relationship or their feelings half the time? Maybe. But Alex promised herself she would have some more heart to heart talks with her girlfriend eventually. She couldn't focus on any of her problems or negativity when she saw Tobin naked anyways, so sex was their therapy for now.

In a blink of an eye, both of them were stripped naked. Before it could go any further however, Alex’s phone rang a distinctive tone. It was their club coach, Paul Riley. She groaned for so long that the noise didn't even sound human anymore.  _Way to kill the mood Paul._

“To be continued.” Alex rasped finally at Tobin, who was staring at her bare body.

She shrugged “I suppose so. I don’t like unfinished business though.” The midfielder half-smirked.

Alex Morgan picked up her phone and felt Tobin’s fingers wander up her thigh. She slapped it away gently and jokingly scolded her, mouthing “Stop or I’ll kick your butt right here right now.” Tobin chuckled.

“Hey coach.” She finally managed, multitasking. The forward was getting dressed again now and was far enough from her girlfriend so that nothing inappropriate would happen right now.

“Alex! Hello. Good to hear from you. I’m presuming you had a safe flight and easy drive back? I expect you and Tobin here at practice…which starts in about thirty minutes. Early session today. See you soon!” He hung up the phone before anything else could be said.

The forward groaned. “God, we have early practice today. We gotta go now.”

“But the morning just came. Five more minutes.” Heath practically growled. “Ugh.”

“Who’s a sleepy girl?” Alex began poking at her and laughing.

“Me.” Tobin mumbled, rolling over and over trying to evade her girlfriend’s fingers.

“How sleepy is she?!”

“So sleepy!!”

Alex climbed back on the bed and pulled Tobin up. “Come on, change, grab some toast and let’s go.”

They were greeted happily by their club team, the Portland Thorns. It had obviously been a while since everyone had seen them due to the World Cup. Even Paul was nicer than usual.

“Welcome back champions! I hope you know I’m expecting even more out of you now. Hope you two can crush this beep test we’re about to do.” Paul Riley hid a small smirk.

Everyone groaned.

After what felt like a millennium, it was finally over, and they were transitioning into some actual game related drills. 3v3, shooting, all of that good stuff.

Shim poked Alex’s in her stomach. “So it finally happened huh?” She beamed. “Allie owes me $50.” Mana had been good friends with Alex and Tobin for ever since they could remember. The Hawaiian was great at reading people, which came as both a blessing and a curse. It didn’t take a psychic to see that Alex had a crush on Tobin though. Honestly, the Thorns thought it was pretty one-sided. They didn’t see Tobin as someone who would settle down like that. Hence the reason Mana and Allie Long making a bet of how soon they would become a couple.

Alex Morgan looked at her confused for a moment. “What?”

“You and Tobin are a couple.” Shim laughed as she put on a jersey and took her turn in the 1v1 drill.

“Is it that obvious?!” Alex yelled after her.

“Very.” The echoes of Shim boomeranged in the air as she took a touch and smashed a volley into the goal. 

* * *

Christen and Kelley spent a good chunk of the day playing board games and Heads Up. After a while though, the competiveness and rivalry they had began to heat up a bit, so they took a break and went out to grab a bite to eat via food trucks. Kelley O’Hara sprinted her way to the taco one, her favorite, grabbing four tacos—one of each kind while Christen settled for some carne asada fries—her favorite.

The two of them ate on a little table directly facing the beach which was nice. They always came here to surf, which was what both of them originally planned to do, but there were enough people in the water for today. Neither of them minded waiting a day; they had time for once.

“You know what I’ve been thinking about lately?” Kelley randomly started the conversation as the sun was starting to go down, mid bite, mouthful.

“What?” Press chuckled and ate another one of her fries.

“If Alex and I do end up together, there’s a chance that Tobin won’t be one of my best friends anymore. Things will be weird between us, weirder than they are now actually. And if we don’t end up together, well, I think a part of me will always hurt. I won’t want to be around them as much. I think I’m at a loss either way...” Kelley swallowed her food finally. “Why does it always have to be so hard?”

“Oh Kel. I thought I was the one who was supposed to think too much.” Kelley teasingly rolled her eyes and stole a couple of Christen’s fries as she talked. “You’ll either find someone better or if Tobin seriously cares about you, she’ll stay anyways and get over it. You can’t let this thing consume your mind.”

“Maybe I should meditate with you.” O’Hara joked.

“Hey you’re kidding right now but if you were serious, I’m sure it would help immensely.” Christen pretended to scoff. She did take her meditation seriously; Kelley knew that.

“You really think I’ll find someone better?”

“Kel, I think you need to take your mind off of it somehow. Honestly, I would hope you find the love of your life. If it’s Alex, then it’s Alex. If it’s not, then it’s not. I’m not really into overanalyzing love, though I do with all the other things in the world.”

Kelley chuckled. “You’re in enigma wrapped in a conundrum, m’lady.”

“Don’t I know it.” Press blushed a bit.

“What about you, Chris?”

“What about me?”

“Who’s your soulmate?” The question was heavy. Both of them looked at each other as it sunk in.

“I think one can have multiple soul mates for many things.” Press slowly began, choosing her words carefully. “I’m not sure who the love of my life is. At this point, it just might be Morena.”

The striker watched as her best friend busted out in genuine joy and laughter. “Why am I not surprised. Well, I don’t recall of ever hearing about any of your past relationships. You haven’t been dating…I don’t remember you dating anyone in college either. What are you waiting for?”

Christen shrugged nonchalantly. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m not really into investing feelings into someone who’s temporary. I need stability. I’m not really into lusting either. After the whole struggle to make the national team stress, I learned how to control all of my emotions—that includes the lovey dovey stuff. Plus, if love is setting a table for someone who might never come home, I think I’ll pass.”

“I wish I could do that. Control the emotion anyways. As for the love metaphor, that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard Chris.” Kelley finished her last taco aggressively before having another epiphany. “You should…let me set you up on a date.”

“There’s no way I’m letting you do that ever.”

“Why?! You don’t think I know what your type is?”

“I don’t even know what my type is.”

Kelley laughed and took her hand. “I can’t help but think you dig me a little bit.”

“Kel, you’re my best friend. I wouldn’t date you ever.”

“Why not? Don’t say because I’m not an option. I’ve heard enough of that.”

“It just…I couldn’t stand to lose you if we don’t work out. And hey wait, am I that palpable…?”

“Oblivious and not discreet, that’s what you are Chris.” Kelley chuckled some more.

“Oh gosh.” Press blushed again. “It’s nothing serious. What you feel for Alex isn’t what I feel for you. I just want to be your rock, Kelley. Someone you go to when it isn’t working out, someone you go to when you’re super happy. We’re inseparable. I love what we have, I do. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you’ve never thought about kissing me.” Kelley O’hara got intense now. _Why is she doing this?_ Christen’s mind started over processing.

“I—I…” Press stammered for the first time in years. She was so deft at speaking usually; she prided herself in being well spoken. It startled her and scared her almost to hear herself struggle to find words. Christen grasped a hold of reality shortly though. “I can’t help but think you’re doing this as a way to be distracted from Alex.”

“You did tell me to find something to keep my mind off of it. You always seem to be the trick for me.”

“Yeah, but Kel, we can’t do what you’re trying to do. It’s wrong and you know it. You’d be waterboarding my heart, it’ll end catastrophically, and gosh, I can’t believe you’d want me to be your bridge girl.” Christen eyed her sadly. “I think you’re my soul mate, but only platonically. Have I ever thought about what it would be like if we were together? Yeah. But not anymore. You don’t give me butterflies. You give me loyalty, love, reassurance, and constant pranks and scares. I love that. I love you. I want what’s best for you. I want to stand by your side and meet all of your girlfriends, however any you have to go through. I want to look out for you. I honestly should be super mad that you put me on the spot just now, but I’m not. I don’t want this to be weird. You’re already having a hard time with Alex. You don’t need me to flip out on you too. You’re welcome, Kelley O’Hara.” Christen pulled her in for a hug.

“I love you Christen…I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I almost broke a boundary there didn’t I?” Kelley’s eyes seemed so apologetic. She was immediately sorry she had brought up such a crazy subject. Christen’s feelings weren’t exactly one sided though. There was much more to it, but hearing everything made Kelley O’Hara feel even worse. “I don’t know why I did that. I—”

Christen got up and hurled a handful of sand at her. “Let’s just drop it, okay? Come on, last one to the car is a rotten egg.”

Kelley smiled a bit to herself, exhaling as she watched the talented forward sprinting. She had already made it to the Jeep, it was almost inhuman. _Yeah, let’s just drop it._


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently got into the idea of Press and JJ. ;) I've decided to leave Kelley and Christen as platonic, but there will be an O'Press fic soon.

The first day of practice with the Thorns went well for Alex and Tobin. It was more of a relief for Alex of course, who unfortunately had been injury prone since 2013. Her journey with soccer has been rough ever since then, but she was making the best of every day as much as she could.

Everyone was in the midst of recovering now. Alex, Shim, and Allie were all in the ice bath together.

“So…where’s your girlfriend?” Allie smirked a bit, priding herself in being the person to bring it up. “You know, I’m pretty upset that you guys got together so early. Shim totally hustled fifty bucks out of me.”

Alex laughed somewhat nervously. “Allie, you just saw her. She’s probably in another ice bath or the pool. And hey, you’re supposed to be happy for me!”

“I am. Just a little mad at myself maybe for not having faith.” Long grinned a bit. “Does Kelley know?” 

 _Kelley. I totally forgot about her,_ Alex thought to herself. She had been purposely ignoring Kelley's texts. She didn't answer her or anything. The worst part was that she didn't feel bad at all.

The two Thorns watched as Alex Morgan’s expression shifted immediately. “Yeah. I don’t really want to talk about her right now though, okay?”

“Sure, Al. Whatever.” Allie dropped it but Alex new Mana wouldn’t; she was definitely going to bring it up later in their hotel room or before the game or something. There was no hiding from Shim, and that's sort of why Alex liked her. She kept her grounded and forced her to face reality, even when she didn't want to. The positive side was the fact that it was a home game. The downside, however, was that it would be against Sky Blue. Kelley. She had to face Kelley. There was no way around it, and Alex honestly wasn't sure if she was ready to face her yet. This was going to suck.

“Let’s…get to dinner.” The striker popped out of the ice water and was the first one out the door.

The team met up in the dining room of their hotel later to eat of course. Alex met up with Tobin and gently pecked her lips. They hadn’t been a part for very long, but she still found herself missing the midfielder anyways.

“Hey you.”

“Hey Al.” Tobin kissed the side of her head too, resulting in Alex’s stomach feeling butterflies and her cheeks flushing bright red. “Get ready to be teased.”

“AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.” An in sync chorus chimed from every single girl in the room. The couple rolled their eyes and laughed.

“Yes. We are together.” Alex announced. “Apparently it was really obvious and apparently I heard there was a bet going on. I’m going to get all the people who were in on the bet later. Mark my words.”

The team let their World Champs get food first and then followed suit. Alex and Tobin again sat with Shim, Allie, and were later joined by Catley and Betos.

Alex was practically inhaling her food. She didn’t realize how hungry she was honestly.

“Slow down babe.” Tobin laughed. “You’re going to end up choking or something ridiculous.”

“I hope you know CPR then.” Morgan winked.

“Aw you two get a freaking room.” Betos intervened. “I’m totally with it though. I think you guys are adorable, it’s sickening. I don’t even need dessert.”

“You know you missed us right!! I haven’t heard any of the love since we got here. It’s all been obsessing over me and Tobs.”

“We do miss you Alex. It’s been a month.” Shim’s tone in her voice changed. It was much more genuine now, not so much teasing. “It’s good to have you back. Seriously.”

“That’s what I want to hear.” Alex winked at her and that got a laugh out of everyone at the table.

The girls ate sporadically, and there were lots of catching up moments that were discussed. People talked about funny moments that happened in the NWSL season, nice goals, etc. They also commented on some of the World Cup games since most of them got to tune in. A few players actually got to go to some of the matches, which was also cool.

Alex and Tobin shared their World Cup experiences and of course, told their teammates about how crazy the final was.

As her girlfriend was talking up a storm, Tobin found it only appropriate to get back at her for what she did at the Body Issue party. She made sure Alex was totally preoccupied in her stories, which was obviously was, and allowed her hand to wander.

Tobin Heath’s fingers quickly made her way to Alex’s thigh, and she walked them back and forth a little bit before beginning to rub circles. She heard her girl’s breath immediately hitch. Alex jumped a bit and had to immediately clamp down on her bottom lip.

“Something wrong, Al?” Tobin was the one that asked this time, purposely of course, instead of an innocent bystander. She wanted to be the one to take control. Plus, it made things seem normal, as if she had no idea what was going on under that table.

Alex turned to glance at her with such an intense stare it honestly turned Tobin on a bit. “No…nothing’s wrong.”

“You two are quite odd.” Catley dejected. “However, you’re my best friends, so I guess that means you’re supposed to be really weird. You know, that group of death still gives me shivers. I’m pretty psyched we beat Brazil beyond that too.”

“Yeah, you guys did great actually. Very proud of you, Cat.” Tobin decided to pitch in a bit on the conversation so she wouldn’t seem withdrawn.

“Sweden, USA, Australia, Nigeria. How insane. I’m pretty sure FIFA is so rigged.” Shim scoffed.

Tobin’s hand found her way to Alex’s shorts and she immediately slipped a finger in, pulsing agonizingly slow. The Tar Heel watched as Alex took it in; she wanted it. If she didn’t, she would have definitely pushed her girlfriend’s hand away. Instead, she bit her lip and almost wanted to sink into it. Alex licked her lips and clamped down again as a second finger was added. She kept squirming back and forth but tried to remain as discreet and calm as possible.

“Yeah, but hey, it was pretty sweet to watch. Don't forget Germany and Japan the USA had to face too.” Michelle Betos grinned. “You guys missed my goal though. Sweet service from Allie here.”

“The pleasure was all mine, but the glory is all yours.” Allie Long laughed. “Maybe Betos can be our forward if everything else fails.”

“Was that…supposed to be a compliment?” Betos chuckled. “I’m just going to take it as one.”

While the small talk continued, Tobin added another finger. She pulsed even faster in Alex’s core, curling her fingers to achieve maximum sensation. She knew what made Alex concave. Alex Morgan was fighting hard not to moan and swear now. The task proved to be nearly impossible.

As she was approaching an orgasmic high, Tobin pulled all of her fingers out. A dish actually dropped moments after that, and everyone turned to look. Tobin Heath licked her fingers when the heads turned the other way and smirked at Alex who had such a dazed look on her face for a moment. Her eyes had rolled to the back of her head. When she came down from the high, however, she stared daggers into Tobin.

“Would you pass the salt please, Al?” Heath pretended as if nothing happened, as if she hadn’t just left her girlfriend seconds away from climax, as if it wasn’t a big deal at all. 

* * *

 

It was Kelley and Christen’s last day at home. Unfortunately, that meant tons of packing. Kelley O’Hara was a lot further off than Press was because most of her stuff was already in her luggage and what not, so she ended up helping her best friend.

Christen was a little emotional, of course, because she kind of always was. Her parents were used to it, and so was Kelley at this point. Every time she traveled, she had to cry a tiny bit and then get over it. Kelley stopped to hug her as a tear or two came down her cheek.

“You’re so precious, Chris. It’s going to be fine, you know that. You love Chicago. You miss it and you need it right now. Soccer is your first love, remember?”

“You’re right. I’m just kind of blissfully overwhelmed right now. It’s crazy. We’re World Champions, Kel. I hope that means the women’s game will grow.” She wiped her tears from her face and sniffled before smiling.

That made Kelley grin. She knew Christen was an avid women’s soccer advocate. All the striker wanted to do was leave a positive impact on the world and help the game grow. She believed in equality for women not only in pay but in sports, especially soccer obviously. “You’re such a good person.”

“I try.” Her momentary sadness was over now. It didn’t take long anymore, and Christen prided herself in that. Usually, back in the day, especially when she was in Sweden, she would cry for hours on the phone with her mom. Now it was typically a 5-15 minute breakdown. Growth was important to her.

The two went back to packing, but that didn’t last long either. Christen’s cell phone was ringing—a Tegan and Sara song, one of her favorites. She hurriedly went to her nightstand to pick up. “Hello?”

Kelley studied her, watching as her best friend’s face began to light up. Her expressions and mood changed immediately, as if the voice on the other line was some divine intervention.

“Yeah, I miss you too, but that’ll all be solved tomorrow.” Press grinned some more. “I’m packing right now. Yeah, I know. I’m pretty excited. Think of all the fans that will come now!”

The defender didn’t know what to make out of this phone call or what to think. She knew she had to know who Christen was talking to though. It was necessary.

“I’ll talk to you later. Okay. Yeah, I can call you before I get on my flight. Or after, it’s up to you. Okay, bye.” Christen didn’t know she was blushing, but Kelley saw it.

“Who was that?”

“JJ.” Christen managed, as she went back to folding her clothes.

“JJ as in our Julie Johnston?” Kelley raised an eyebrow. _Why was she calling Christen?_

“Yes silly. She’s my teammate on the Red Stars, remember? Wipe that confused look off your face. You aren’t jealous, are you?”

“No. Why would I be?” Kelley calmed her tone down a bit to make it more convincing. She wasn’t jealous. At least, she didn’t think so. Maybe she was just being possessive. Yeah, best friends are possessive. That’s totally what it was. She was also wishing Alex would call her.

“That’s precisely what I was thinking. You don’t have a reason to be.” Press reassured her and gave her a soft smile. “She wants to make sure I get to Chicago safely is all. And who knows? I’ve been thinking about what you said about me not dating, and I think I might want to ask JJ on a date.” Christen suddenly got very withdrawn and timid. Julie made her a little nervous, truth be told. They had become pretty close of the years, both of them scoring in the Algarve Cup final against France. Hopefully it could grow into something more now. The defender sometimes flirted casually with Christen, but the nervous Stanford alumni never let it get too far because well, she was kind of a ball of nerves all of the time, and two, there was always some weird obstacle that restricted her from dating. Now that presumably the hurdles were cleared up, Press thought why not? Let’s pursue this.

Kelley absorbed the information and nodded. “Oh. That’s good Chris. I’m happy for you.” She wasn't jealous. The information made her think about Alex. It made her miss the striker. It hurt. It hurt all over again.

They finished packing hours later, both of them exhausted. Kelley laid down dramatically on the bed. “PHEW. That’s probably my least favorite part about being a professional athlete.”

Christen sat beside her and chuckled. “Yeah, tell me about it…” She paused a bit. “Hey Kel?”

“Yeah?”

“Call me when you get off the plane too, okay?”

“I will.”

“And you can do this. You’re going to be great for Sky Blue, and you can talk to me before and after you play Portland whenever that is too.”

Kelley closed her eyes and tried to imagine how that would go. The Georgian imagined seeing Alex and Tobin all giddy with each other. She felt her body physically ache. She missed holding Alex, talking about everything and becoming irrationally philosophical at 3 a.m. She sighed and pushed the thought away. “Thanks Chris. I love you.”

“I love you too, Kel.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelley O'Hara is totally on fire, without Alex Morgan. It confuses Alex. Did she make a mistake? Meanwhile, Christen and JJ begin to blossom a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on revolving it not only just on Alex/Tobin or Alex/Kelley, but giving Christen and JJ a decent story too. Hope you enjoy it. :) I'm beginning to pack for college, so chapters may be a little slow.

It was game day finally, and it was a double whammy: Portland Thorns were going to play Sky Blue, and Chicago was going to play the Houston Dash. Alex woke up pumped, but she was actually quite nervous. It was normal to have a few jitters before a match, after all, it was a sold out crowd for the very first time…however, and these weren’t exactly soccer related nerves.

A week or so had passed since Alex last saw Kelley. She had to admit, it was hard. Alex Morgan missed the constant talking. Every day conversations—some of them heart to hearts, some of them absolutely weird facts, and some that made the striker laugh so hard her stomach hurt. Every time something new happened, Alex would always tell Kelley. The fact that she couldn’t now, or rather, she didn’t, definitely hurt both of them. She tried telling Tobin, but it just wasn’t the same.

Alex loved Tobin. It was a dream to be with her, but she just didn’t quite get Alex the same way Kelley did which hurt a bit. The forward kept reminding herself that they were supposed to be different.

The Thorns arrived early to their stadium because it was a home game. They had more time to relax. Nothing was too frantic, and of course they were playing at ease in their back yard so to speak.

All the girls packed the locker room, music was blasting, and everyone, for the most part, was chattering their hearts out.

Except for Alex.

She was cooped up in her section with headphones of her own in, and instead of the mainstream pop, Alex Morgan found herself listening to some sad, sappy love songs.

Tobin noticed all too quickly and went over to her after playing a little hacky sack with Christine Sinclair.

“You okay babe?” She asked as she took Alex’s headphones off.

“Yeah. I just want to be in my zone. It’s a big game. We haven’t been doing so hot, so I want to be ready to win.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Her mind kept wandering to Kelley. She wondered what her national team teammate was doing preparing for their game. She wondered if she was thinking of her the same way too.

“Okay.” Tobin kissed her cheek, which ultimately snapped Alex out of her daydreaming daze. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay?”

See, that was the comforting and supportive Tobin Alex needed right now. It wasn’t weird that they were dating. They should be exactly the same way they were, touchy, happy, close, just now with some kissing. The forward smiled. “Thanks babe.”

“Anytime.” Tobin grinned back and joined Sincy for some more hacky sack.

Before long, it was time to hit the pitch and start warm-ups. The Thorns marched outside in unison, eyeing the crowd which was jam packed—a huge step forward for women’s soccer. Sky Blue was there already too, and Alex couldn’t help but notice Kelley, who was leading their warm up and laughing alongside Caitlin Foord and Samantha Kerr. _She’s doing just fine without me,_ Alex thought to herself. _Damn, that hurts._ Seeing that threw Alex Morgan off for essentially the entire game.

Game time came. Both teams were lined up as players were being announced. Alex, Tobin, Kelley, and Christie Rampone all got a roaring applause from the crowd, which was nice. The national anthem played and with that, it was time to kickoff.

It was agonizingly chippy. Portland was struggling to keep possession, something that always seemed to happen when they were facing New Jersey. It was odd and frustrating. Alex couldn’t connect with much—it had been too long. She zigged when her teammates zagged. Thankfully, Sky Blue couldn't seem to connect that well either. They didn't have much style going for them in this match; they were kind of just dumping the ball forward.

Alex began mumbling to herself. _If we don’t win this game, I’m going to be pissed._ Time was winding down quickly. The chants of “PTFC” still rung all around the arena, and people initiated the red smoke bombs, as well as “When the Thorns go Marching in.”It was nice to see. It kept Alex engaged in the game.

The first half was rearing towards an end. There was going to be two minutes extra. Tobin was taking on in the middle after winning a turnover from Katy Freels, and she slotted the perfect through ball to Alex. Evidently, Tobin Heath, as of right now, was the only person that could connect with Alex Morgan.

The forward took two touches to ensure accuracy and precision and then proceeded to slot it past Brittany Cameron with ease. 1-0, half time. She was practically mauled by her teammates, and the crowd went insane. The cheering was unreal; the sound echoed long after they stopped clapping and screaming.

Alex Morgan exhaled a bit, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders while she was walking into the locker room. “Sweet goal Al. That through ball was pretty sexy too though.” Tobin winked at her.

“Oh yeah. I wonder who sent that to me.” Baby horse laughed.

Paul Riley talked briefly about their game plan and better ways to keep possession, and the second half was underway already.

Sky Blue came out with a different sort of tenacity.  It was almost as if they were a different team. They applied higher pressure, and Kelley actually got on the ball a lot more. It didn’t take long for them to dominate possession. The momentum and tide turned quick in favor of them.

 Alex remembers trying to track back to win the ball from her around the 50th minute, but she ended up getting megged. Kelley O’Hara was crafty and had the endurance of a cheetah. It came as a surprise to Alex still, even though she knew that her best friend was the reigning USWNT beep test champ.

She reached out her arm and stuck out her foot to try and drag the speedy girl down, but Kelley evaded it after a bit of struggling and tusseling. As a result, Alex watched in sheer and utter embarrassment after getting megged; Kelley switched the ball perfectly towards Caitlin Foord, who ran the flank effortlessly. Kelley continued her run, and Samantha Kerr had back post. Foord crossed the ball low on the ground, and O’Hara turned and backheeled it in past Betos without even looking. 1-1. Backheeled. How often does that ever happen in the women's game?! Or the men's game!? 

Alex felt her jaw nearly on the ground. She couldn’t believe the sudden confidence Kelley had. Or did she always have it and Alex just never noticed?

Everything else came as a blur for the #13. She recalls of hearing Betos constantly yelling at her team. The keeper was always so vocal having learned it from Nadine Angerer; it was nice to hear besides the crowd. Alex hardly touched the ball. She remembers seeing Foord steal a ball from Tobin and take off again. The Australian sauntered her way past the backline and slotted another ball, similar to her first cross, and Kelley smashed it home—upper 90. 2-1, 75th minute.

Alex felt terrible. _I should be mad that we’re losing right? Why am I not pissed off…_ The only emotion she could feel was some sort of nervousness. She couldn’t stop staring at Kelley. Her heart kept pounding every time she saw the intensity in her best friend’s eyes. _What the heck am I feeling?_

She finally got to touch the ball around the 88th minute, and as she was rearing for a shot, Kelley recovered for Foord and played defense, slide tackling the ball out of play as it rocketed off Alex’s foot. _Holy. Fuck._

Kelley was everywhere—literally, on the field, and mentally in Alex’s head. She took up so much space in her mind it was crazy.

There were three minutes of allocated additional time, and apparently that was more than enough to drive Sky Blue. They were back at it again on a counter attack, after Cameron had made an easy save off a corner the Thorns had which Allie Long served in.

Their keeper chucked the ball out to Kerr, who took off as if it was barely the first minute of the game.

Long dove in and slid her hard. The Australian went tumbling.

Free kick to Sky Blue, 35 yards out. The crowd was booing immensely. Betos called Alex back to be in the wall, but it didn’t matter anyways. Sky Blue took a short free kick. Kerr laid it off to Nadia Nadim, and Nadim pulled it back and ripped one, low and hard to the ground.

Betos somehow managed to miraculously save it, but it rebounded and guess who was there to finish?

That’s right, Kelley O’Hara. The final whistle blew moments after that too.

3-1 game: Sky Blue victory. Kelley O'Hara: player of the match.

 _It’s like the universe is trying to punch me in the face with karma,_ Alex thought to herself, groaning. She was beyond upset. Her team lost, their fourth consecutive defeat and were somewhere at the bottom of the leader board, she clearly didn't do enough today, her best friend ex best friend girl who had or has a crush on her whatever the heck she was had scored three goals, and now she had to face her, and Alex Morgan wasn't sure she could do that yet...or ever, really.

Both teams went to shake hands. The striker desperately tried to evade Kelley. She went out of her way to linger and talk to everyone else except for her, but it was no use. Kelley O’Hara proved to be the last hand she would shake, and the evidently pesky girl wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

When the two came in contact, Kelley looked at her and tried a small smile. Her mouth didn’t curl up the way it usually did. In fact, it hardly curled up at all. The gesture seemed forced and almost fake, and her eyes looked sad. “Good game.”

 _Good game,_ Alex repeated it in her head. There wasn’t much else to it. Kelley’s tone was so neutral it hurt. There was no affection, she didn't even acknowledge Alex by saying her name. Nothing. She was so overwhelmed with the rush of emotions that she didn’t hear what Kelley said after that.

“Alex?” Kelley tried again.

“Huh…good game.” The striker came to her senses. She felt her cheeks flush insanely red. Why? Why Why WHY? _Since when did Kelley have so much control over me? Why am I feeling like this?_

“Appreciate these new scratches and bruises.” Kelley smirked a bit, revealing her arm and her leg—the colors red and purple seeping all over her skin.

“I-I did that?” Alex Morgan reached out and touched her best friend’s arm, shivers creeping up her spine. “I…I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you should be.” Those were the last words that came out of Kelley’s mouth as she began to walk away, proud of herself for holding it together. She didn’t have a reason to be mopey and sad tonight. She scored a hat trick for God’s sake. No girl was going to crush that. Especially not Alex.

As Sky Blue was packing up their things to head back onto their bus and crash at the hotel for the night before leaving in the morning, Alex ran after Kelley.

She caught her hurriedly and grabbed her arm, the other arm of course, the one that wasn’t…so beat up.

“Can we…can we talk?” Alex was practically begging, pleading, hurting. She felt a lump in her throat.

“Not now.”

“Please Kel.”

“Come find me in our hotel if you’re serious.” No emotion again. Kelley was strong. "You better come alone, or not at all. I don't have time for your confusing nonsense."

Alex gulped and watched as her opponents hiked up into the vehicle a few at a time.

“Okay.”

* * *

Chicago had just finished their home game against the Houston Dash, pummeling them 4-1. Christen Press scored two goals, Jen Hoy had one, and surprisingly Julie Johnston had the other. It was a decent victory for them, and a nice way to entertain the sellout crowd they had as well.

Christen was recovering in the pool with Jen Hoy and Sofia Huerta. She kept her breathing steady, as if it were a semi meditation session. That’s just how she was. Press was a calm, quiet storm and her teammates loved that. It reflected how she played evidently too. You think you have her covered, but the moment you give her space, WHAM. Goal. It was impeccable to watch.

Even though she was cool, calm, and collected on the exterior, inside her mind was still racing. She kept thinking about JJ’s goal celebration, how she ran to Christen immediately and picked her up, despite the fact that the two were nearly the same height.

She thought about how happy she was to see her teammate when she landed in Chicago, how Julie was the first and only person there to pick her up, how she beamed instead of plainly just smiling. _I’ve missed you, Pressy._ JJ’s voice replayed over and over in her head.

Christen remembers Julie taking her to a Chicago Fire game a few days before today, how her hair smelled of coconut. _Oh gosh,_ Press thought to herself. _I have such a crush on her._

Time was up as far as pool recovery, and the offensive trio got out, shaking a bit. Sure, it was summer, and it was pretty hot outside for Chicago, but getting out of a pool is still chilly. Christen shivered a bit.

“You scored some great goals tonight, Chris.” Jen smiled at her. Press has always liked Jen Hoy. She exuberated brilliance, rightfully so too, since she was a Princeton University alumni. Ivy league girl.

“Thanks Jen.” Christen grinned right back. “I hope that means you and Mich will make me some of your famous banana bread pretty soon.”

Hoy playfully shoved her shoulder. “You got it.”

Christen walked to grab her bag but slipped. She mentally braced herself for the impact of the cold pool tiles, however, she never felt it. JJ caught her by the waist, holding her up and wrapping her in a towel. “Gotcha.”

Press blushed. “Gosh, I…I didn’t see you there.”

“Luckily I saw you. You were about to eat it real hard on this rock solid floor. Sweet goals tonight.” Julie beamed that special smile of hers that immediately gave the striker butterflies.

Over the years, Christen learned to find and build confidence, since she was super positive that she wasn’t exactly born with it. Pressure was always on her shoulders, ironically she supposed her last name fit her perfectly. The puns some of the fans made were great. That was besides the point though. Her confidence masked her nervousness and anxiety, which was what she always wanted. She wanted to seem sure of herself, focused, strong. Now, she felt, especially after winning the World Cup, she was.

That’s why when Julie was spitting some compliments, Christen didn’t just fold into a pile of mush, even though secretly that’s what she wanted to do.

“Tryna make my head big or something, Jules? Besides, your goal wasn’t too shabby either.” Press winked.

“Aw well I had to try and keep up with you, goal scoring machine. You should be afraid. You have eight goals now and I have one. I’m right on your heels.”

Christen laughed as they both went into the pool locker room they could change. Julie was quick. She watched as Christen stripped and was kind of mesmerized by her body.

“Listen, Chris, you should…totally let me take you out to celebrate tonight. Nothing fancy. There’s this really cool cupcake place near here, and…I kind of gave them the hint that you were going to score tonight, so they have a bunch ready for you. Well, you have to share with the team too, but I’m sure they won’t mind if you have first dibs.” JJ’s eyes lit up as she talked.

Press threw on a Chicago Red Stars pride shirt. She loved the idea of it, ever since gay marriage got legalized in the States, this became her favorite shirt. She was proud. Love won. “You…assumed I was going to score tonight? That’s awfully presumptuous of you, J.” Confidence was exuding in Press tonight. She mentally high fived herself.

“Yeah well, how could I ever not have faith in you?”

“All right.” Press fixed her hair and added a ribbon, her new signature thing. “Let’s go get these cupcakes.”

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Kelley talk. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be my last chapter for a while. I move into my dorm next Friday! Busy busy.

Alex texted Tobin before catching a cab to Kelley’s hotel. She figured her girlfriend wouldn’t mind. Tobin wasn’t very possessive anyways.

Al: I have to run a couple errands. I’ll recover and catch you later at our apartment. I love you.

Tobs: What are you doing?

Al: It’s nothing important. You don’t have to wait up for me. I don’t know how long I’ll be.

Tobs: Umm. Okay, I love you too.

…And that was that.

The striker sighed a bit of both relief and disappointment. She was hoping Tobin would be more questioning and caring, but she was secretly very thankful that her girlfriend never pestered her that much. It didn't matter right now anyways. 

Alex Morgan didn’t know what was running through her mind anymore. She didn’t know what was going to happen, what to expect, and the worst…what to say. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too bad.

It was about 9 pm now; it wasn’t too late, which was good because Alex and Kelley had a lot to discuss. Alex got to the hotel quickly and texted the Sky Blue star.

Alex: What floor/room?

Kelley had changed Alex’s name in her phone. She went from Al to Alex in hopes that maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much. It didn’t help.

Kel: 302, third floor.

Alex: Okay. Are you alone?

Kel: Are you?

Alex Morgan didn’t bother texting her back because she had already made it out of the elevator and was knocking softly on the door. She turned her phone off and Kelley opened her door by the third knock.

“Hi.” She managed, allowing the girl who evidently broke her heart in and closing the door behind her. Kelley looked like she had just showered not too long ago and barley threw on a shirt. She was wearing white shirt that crammed a bunch of the national team’s nick names together, her hair thrown into a messy bun.

“Hey.” Alex found her lips curling a tiny bit. The situation was pretty uncomfortable and unfortunate, but it was nice to see her nonetheless.

“I am alone by the way.”

Hearing that surprised Alex Morgan. Of course she wanted that to be the case, but it was almost too good to be true. Why would her teammates leave her all by herself after having such a good game? Kelley seemed to read her facial expressions with ease because she answered before Alex could ask.

“Yeah, I just asked to be alone. They get it.”

“No questions?”

“No. I’ve been on my own for the most part lately.”

“Why?” Alex couldn’t help but wonder and feel bad. It was all her fault, it had to be.

“It’s pretty obvious.” Kelley’s tone became stern now, the warmth left her voice. She wanted to get down to business, nothing else.

They both sat down on her bed, which was surprisingly really neat and made. Kelley almost never did that, so either she changed a ton since Alex last spoke to her, or someone else did it for her.

“I…I’m sorry Kelley. I really am. I don’t know where to begin.” Tears started to form in her eyes, but the forward tried her hardest to blink them back. “I just…I miss you a lot.”

A brief silence ensued, but Alex Morgan decided she would soliloquize as much as should before she broke down—the rush of emotions was too much. She knew she was going to start crying. _Better talk it all out now before that comes_ , she thought.

“It’s…been hard. I miss talking to you. I never realized how much we talked until, well, we didn’t. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be so complicated. Now I guess I’ve ruined us. Oh god… today was so strange. I kept looking at you. You megged me and I tried to take you down dirty for crying out loud! And when I couldn’t do that, wow you went ham. You scored three goals, and I’ve ever been more in awe of not only your skill but your beauty. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you…” There was a glint of lust in her words. Alex exhaled. “And I miss our calls and cuddles and telling each other everything.”

“You seem to only want me when I’m doing well.” Kelley laughed. “When did you get so shallow? I don’t want to be your sloppy seconds, or second best, or your second choice. I’m not your cigarette break that you just randomly decide to have and put out when you’re done with me.”

A tear ran its way down the blue eyed girl’s cheek. “You’re telling me you don’t miss me at all?” She sniffled.

“OF COURSE I MISS YOU. How can I not? It's like someone cut a hole in me. I think about you all the time. It’s horrible and unhealthy. Even when I’m trying not to, you always creep your way back into my mind. Or rather, maybe you’ve always been in my mind. You occupy the most space. But you know what? I’ve been good these past couple days. I’ve been managing my feelings. I’ve been venting to Christen, and honestly, I’ve been talking to Hope again.” Kelley eyed Alex intensely.

“You left and the world didn’t crumble. I owe the universe a dollar.”

 _Hope? Why the hell is she talking to Hope? Her ex-girlfriend that couldn’t treat her right to save her life Hope? Our goalkeeper Hope Solo…there’s no way._ Jealousy crept its way onto Alex’s face, and her words came out nearly brokenhearted.“You…you don’t need me anymore?”

“Alex, I don’t want to work on our relationship, whatever the heck this is, until you know what you want. It still feels like you don’t. You’re all over the place. I’m not asking you to be with me. I don’t think I want that anymore, but you keep pushing like it’s going to happen. I’m trying to get over you and you keep pulling it back!” Kelley was angry, hurt, sad, everything terrible. She hid it well though, for once in her life, as best as she could. Thank you Christen Press and vedic meditation. Usually she would have exploded and honestly caved in by now.

“Kelley…I need you. I know I need you. You can’t just put Hope back into your life to replace me. I want you to always be interacting with me somehow, one way or another. And hey, we talked about it before. I might want to be with you later…I just…I don’t know. Tobin is great.” Alex’s eyes were red and puffy now, her nose began to clog up.

“Then why did you even come here? Why don’t you tell Tobin everything?”

“BECAUSE SHE’S NOT YOU KEL!” Alex leaned over and thought about kissing Kelley. She really did. The Diamond Bar native could smell her best friend’s perfume, her favorite scent, the one she had picked out for her in their youth national team days. The USWNT’s #13 could practically taste Kelley’s lips on hers, but she withdrew and came to her senses. “I…I just wish we could start over. You can talk to me about your feelings still, you know…” The words trailed off, their eyes still focused on each other.

“Yeah, right, like I’m supposed to text you to tell you about how much you are bothering me. It doesn’t work that way and you know it. I have Christen regardless of what happens, so it’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me from now on.” Kelley O’Hara was stern. All of what she said was true; she didn’t want to be second best. Not anymore. _Why does everything have to be so hard? Why does everyone I love end up walking away from me somehow?_

Alex wrapped her arms around Kelley spontaneously. “You know I always worry about you. I…it’s nice to see you. I know we aren’t really…we’ll never be…the way we… I just. I’m really glad I came.”

“Too bad you had to lie about it to Tobin, I bet.” Kelley O’Hara scoffed a bit but rested her head on Alex’s shoulder.

“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell her where I was…” Alex bit her lip.

“I WAS JOKING. Holy shit Alex, you can’t even tell her you’re with me? WE AREN’T ANYTHING. THERE ISN’T ANYTHING TO HIDE. Now you’re putting me in a bad position by making me seem terrible and sketchy. Great, ruin all my friendships why don’t you?” Kelley pushed her away and stood up, enraged. She blew up rightfully so. “As a matter of fact, why don’t you just get out?”

Alex calmly got up and slowly walked over to her national team teammate. “Kel…I love you more than you know. I can talk to you about everything. Tobin…isn’t as possessive. She didn’t even fight to ask me where I was.”

“That’s on you. Your problem, not mine.”

“But I…listen. How about we just lay down and relax the way we used to? Just…I miss it, okay? Let me have this and I promise I’ll leave you alone. Fifteen minutes.” Alex dragged Kelley down and almost forced her into a cuddling session. She held her waist with such compassion it startled Kelley. The forward was desperate at this point. She didn't have the answers for her teammate. She couldn't tell her why or how any of this happened. There was no explanation that could suffice anyways, both of them knew that. They were soulmates, but that doesn't automatically mean that they would work.

 _Note to self,_ Kelly thought.  _I love you does not mean I'll never leave you._

“I don’t really have a choice. But fine. Fifteen minutes. Then you need to leave and figure your life out because you’re pissing me off with your hot and coldness.” Kelley was upset but she still felt her heart skip in Alex’s arms. They were tangled again, after a period of uncomfortable hiatus. It didn't feel the same anymore, but neither one of them could decide if that was good or bad. Regardless, Alex found herself soothed. Her nerves calmed. Her body relaxed. Everything would be okay with Kelley for a little while. Lately it seemed as though she couldn't satisfy Tobin without neglecting Kelley. Kelley never won. This moment had to make up for some of that.

The fifteen minutes went by and of course, Kelley O’Hara fell asleep.

Alex didn't leave though. She stared at her for a while, watching the way her best friend's nose crinkled and her freckles lined up to form constellations before falling asleep herself.

Who would regret it more in the morning?


End file.
